Destination Unknown
by bluephoenixsong
Summary: Someone's returned from Jessica & Horatio's past, someone they thought they would never see again. What will this do to the family & life they've created together, & how will they move forward from this point on? Rated M for mild violence & adult themes.
1. Father's Day

**Ta-da! Here it is, folks! The seventh story in my Jessica/Ryan series! I know, it took me forever to post it, but I really wanted to finish out "Collective Souls" and "No day but Today," not to mention update a little with "A Love Like Ours," before I started working on this one. I didn't want to overload myself with managing four stories at once. Sorry again to all who have been patiently waiting.**

**Peace Out! ~KC  
><strong>

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><p>Destination Unknown<p>

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><p>Father's Day<p>

Horatio opened the door and was clobbered by his daughter jumping into his arms. "Happy Father's Day, Daddy!" she exclaimed as she planted kisses on his cheek. Horatio smiled and held his daughter in his arms as he sank to the ground.

"Hey Bug, what brings you here?" Horatio asked her.

"Are you deaf old man?" Jessica asked, knocking her fist against his head lightly. "I just told you Happy Father's Day. You do remember what that is, right? Or has olds timers kicked in already?"

"I believe its pronounced Alzheimer's, Jess." Ryan said, helping Horatio to his feet. He smiled at Horatio and they hugged. "Happy Father's Day, Horatio," he whispered.

"Nope, Dad's got olds timers! He's just senile!" Jessica smiled as she jetted to the kitchen of Horatio's house.

Horatio chuckled and looked towards the kitchen. "Just as mischievous as her mother."

"And just as cute!" Jessica hollered.

"With your hearing abilities," Ryan joked. He smiled at Horatio and Horatio returned it with one of his own.

"I hope someday, Mr. Wolfe, we'll be celebrating for you," he said with a wink.

"Yeah, me too, H," Ryan replied quietly.

They found Jessica in the kitchen unloading the box she had carried with her. She turned the oven on and set a glass baking dish on the counter next to it. She pulled back the aluminum foil on the top and checked the contents.

"Good Ryan," she said, "It looks like you didn't ruin the lasagna when you ran that red light."  
>"I did not run a red light!" Ryan retorted, nudging her with his elbow.<p>

"Blah, blah, blah, you know you ran it."

"Hey who's the one with obsessive compulsive disorder here?" Ryan asked.

"That would be you cod."

"Well don't you think I would be freaking out if I had run a red light?"

"Nope," Jessica said, pushing him away with her foot. Ryan grabbed her foot and tore her converse off and began tickling her. Jessica laughed and pulled, trying to get away from him. "You bastard, you're going to make me drop the cheesecake!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Ryan playfully retorted. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his hands on her lower abdomen. He sighed as he felt the flat muscle and buried his face into her neck.

Jessica turned and wrapped her arms around him. "You still look for her sometimes, don't you?" she whispered to him.

Ryan nodded his head against her shoulder and sighed. "I don't know why either. I know she's not there anymore. It's like my subconscious just keeps looking."  
>Jessica looked into his sad hazel eyes and kissed him gently. "Someday Ryan, someday," she quietly said.<p>

The moment was interrupted when they felt cold water spray them. They looked to see Horatio standing at the sink with the hose in his hand. "Today's about me, so stop being so gloomy," he said as he sprayed them again.

"Oh no you don't, old man!" Jessica exclaimed as she ran at him. Horatio took off running and Jessica followed him out of the kitchen. Ryan turned off the sink and replaced the hose and followed the sounds of their yelling. He found them outside running around Horatio's backyard, Jessica still wearing only one shoe. They circled around each other before Jessica jumped at him, tackling Horatio to the ground. They laughed as they wrestled in the grass. Jessica pinned Horatio to the ground and held his arms down as she straddled his hips. Ryan stood by the pool and smiled as he watched father and daughter share their moment together.

"Dad?" a voice said behind Ryan. He turned to see Kyle standing in the doorway in his army uniform and a duffle bag over his shoulder. Jessica and Horatio sat up and looked towards the house. Jessica's eyes lit up at the sight of her younger brother. "Kyle!" she exclaimed as she ran towards him.

Jessica jumped in his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. She kissed his forehead as Kyle staggered under her weight. "Hey sis," he said, kissing her cheek. "Miss me much?"

"Just a whole freakin lot!" Jessica happily exclaimed. "I didn't know you were coming home!"

"I didn't either until yesterday," Kyle said as Jessica crawled off him. "My Sergeant said I was going stateside but he didn't say it was to Miami."  
>"Hey Kyle," Horatio said, wrapping his arms around his son. "I've missed you." He kissed Kyle's forehead and held him close.<p>

"I missed you, too, Dad," Kyle said. He looked at Ryan and smiled. "Don't you have your own father you could be celebrating with Ryan?"

Ryan tried to smile as he hugged Kyle. "Well no, my Dad's dead."

Kyle froze and looked at him shocked. "Oh god, I'm so sorry Ryan. I didn't mean to….I mean I didn't…"

"You didn't know," Ryan said. "It's ok Kyle. I never told you."

Jessica ran over and grabbed Ryan's hand and pulled him towards the house. "Come on, Ryan, let's go make you a father on Dad's bed!"

"Oh no you don't!" Horatio exclaimed. He grabbed Jessica around the waist and heaved her onto his shoulder. "You're going to finish making this surprise dinner you brought over! I'm the Dad and I'm hungry!" Horatio carried her through the door and towards the kitchen. Kyle and Ryan watched and listened as Jessica's protests faded.

"Damn it, old man, put me down! Why do you always do this? This is freakin child abuse! Child abuse I tell you! I have half the mind to turn you in!"

"Shut up or I'm taking back the kidney."  
>"Ha! Joke's on you! You take back the kidney and I die! What are you going to do about that?"<p>

"Kyle should be a match."  
>"Hey! Don't you go pawning off my organs, old man!" Kyle called after him. He chuckled and smiled at Ryan.<p>

"I'm really sorry about what I said, Ryan," Kyle said. "I didn't know. I need to think before I open my big mouth."  
>"It's ok, Kyle, really it is," Ryan said, wrapping his arm around Kyle's shoulder and leading him back to the house. "It was an honest mistake. A lot of people don't know my parents are dead."<br>"Both your parents are dead?"

Ryan nodded his head. "Yeah, they died when I was six in a car accident. It's been me and Rachael and Uncle Ron all these years." Ryan sighed and looked at Kyle. "I miss them."

"I know how you feel. I didn't have a father until I was sixteen, and I only met him because I was under house arrest and on the run from the cops."

Ryan smiled and pulled Kyle in for a hug.

"So when are you and Jess getting married?" Kyle asked him.

Ryan looked at him for a moment and then put him in a head lock. "Why does everyone always ask me that?" Ryan asked him as he rubbed his fist roughly against Kyle's head. "I swear one more time and I'll throw you in the pool!"

"Hey you two!" Jessica yelled at them from the doorway. "Get your butts in here or no dessert for you tonight!"

Ryan and Kyle laughed and walked towards the house together. "Ryan, what happened to Jessica's face?" referring to the yellowish bruise around her left eye.

Ryan smiled and wrapped his arm around the younger man's shoulders. "Well, Kyle, let's just say Jessica had an epic battle with a doorknob Wednesday morning and it won."


	2. Leaving the past

**Sorry about only posting two chapters, I haven't fully edited the next few. They'll be up soon though, I promise.**

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><p>Leaving the past<p>

Jessica stopped at the front desk. "Hey Mel, I got your call. Where's the mother?"

"She's over there with her other son." Mel said, directing Jessica towards a woman sitting on a couch.

"Alright thanks." Jessica said as she turned and walked towards the couch. Mel had called Jessica and asked if she was available to talk to a woman who had come in exclaiming that her son was missing. Horatio was really the one who should have been consulting with the woman but he was out in the field. Mel figured the Lieutenant's daughter would do just fine until he returned to the lab. Mel had called him and Horatio said he would get back as soon as he could.

The woman was sitting with a teenage boy. Her hair was styled big and her brown hair looked slightly fake. Jessica approached her and stood before her. "Excuse ma'am, but are you the one whose son is missing?"

"Yes! Oh thank god finally someone with a brain around here that can help me!" She turned and looked at Jessica and Jessica felt her heart stop. One brown eye, one green, bushy eyebrows that had been waxed to next to nothing but the tiny hairs were still visible. Brown hair, dyed dark brown intended to cover red. Jessica's chest hurt and she involuntarily took a step back. The woman eyed her over and her mouth hung open. Her son looked from his mother to Jessica. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Izzy?" he whispered.

Jessica stood there speechless. She didn't know what to say. The boy stood. He was so tall now, he towered over Jessica. He looked at her with his brown eyes, the ones he had gotten from his biological father. "Izzy?" he said again reaching out to her.

The woman stood and slapped his hand down. "Don't touch her, Samuel!" she snapped. She looked at Jessica, hatred burning in her eyes. "What are you doing here? Horatio said you were dead!"

"Ma'am, I don't know who you think I am but my name is Dr. Jessica Caine and I'm here to help you find your son."

"Jessica Caine?" the woman sneered, "You think just because you change your name it makes you a different person, Izzy?"

"Ma'am my name isn't Izzy, its Jessica Caine. Elizabeth Caine was my sister and she died fourteen years ago."

"Oh please Izzy, do you really think I would believe that lie?"

Jessica pulled out her credentials and flashed her badge. "Does it say Jessica or Elizabeth?"

Mel watched the confrontation taking place. She grabbed the phone and her voice came over an intercom in the labs. "Assistance needed in the lobby. Any available officer is requested to respond."

Eric heard the announcement. Something wasn't right, he could tell by the tone of Mel's voice. He ran down the hall. There was Jessica in a heated argument with some woman. She was doing her best to keep her cool but the woman was getting right in her face.

"Jess, is there a problem here?" Eric asked her.

Jessica looked at him and Eric could see the anger burning in her eyes. She grabbed Eric's hand and squeezed it roughly. "Please tell this woman who I am."

"Jessica Caine?" Eric said confused.

"See, I told you I'm not Elizabeth!" Jessica said snidely to the woman.

Eric looked at her confused. "Jess, what's going on?"

The elevator doors opened and Horatio walked out. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was Jessica, holding hands with Eric, her body clearly shaking. But what struck Horatio the most was the woman standing before his daughter. He walked towards them, his heart pounding in his chest. "Suzanna?"

The woman looked at Horatio, her two different colored eyes growing huge with shock. "Horatio," she said.  
>"Suzanna, what are you doing here?" Horatio asked her.<p>

"My children and I are on vacation and my youngest son is missing."

"Youngest son?" Horatio questioned. "You have another son?"

"Yes, after you left I had another baby."

"Well congratulations to you. When was the last time you saw him?"

"Last night; I said good night to my children before I returned to my hotel room. This morning Samuel told me Joshua was missing. We came here after he didn't answer his cell phone." Suzanna's eyes watered slightly. "Our baby is missing Horatio, you have to find him."

Horatio was speechless. "_Our_ son?"

"Yes, after you left me I learned I was pregnant. I amuse it's yours."  
>"Why didn't you tell me?"<p>

"And let you try and get custody of him when you had this monster living with you? I think not."

"Excuse me!" Jessica exclaimed, "But if I remember right you were the one who was the monster!"

Eric pulled Jessica into his arms and held her. "Don't Jess," he whispered.

Suzanna laughed and shook her head at Jessica. "I see you still have that temper problem, Izzy. I think I know what happened to my son now. You took him, didn't you, Izzy Bug?"

"Don't you fucking call me that, you wench!"

"Jessica!" Horatio said loudly. Jessica looked at him and backed away. Suzanna laughed and looked at Eric and Jessica.

"You better watch yourself, young man. Izzy's a monster and a deceiver. She'll brain wash you and make you throw your whole life away." She turned and looked at Horatio. "Just like you did, Horatio."

"I didn't throw my life away for Izzy. Izzy was my life and I wasn't about to leave her for some woman I only agreed to marry because I was lonely."  
>"Lonely? You married me because you were lonely?"<p>

"The only woman I ever loved had died and I needed someone to love me. I thought that was you, Suzanna. Turns out I was wrong, it was Izzy all along."

Suzanna's eyes burned into Horatio's. "Are you going to find our son or not?"

Horatio looked at her with a rage Eric had never seen before. "I am going to find him and if he really is my son I'm suing you for custody Suzanna."


	3. Who was she?

Who was she?

Horatio paced the layout room. He had finished questioning Suzanna about her missing son and now he was trying to decide his next move. Ryan walked into the room and could immediately sense Horatio's distress. He looked at Jessica and could see the same anguish on her face.

"Eric," he said, "What's going on?"

"Horatio's ex-wife, Suzanna Richardson, she and her children are visiting Miami." Eric explained, "Her youngest son is missing, Joshua. She just reported him, said the last time she saw him was last night."

"It hasn't been twenty-four hours," Ryan commented, "We shouldn't be investigating this until either tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Well Horatio pushed it ahead because Suzanna is claiming that Joshua is Horatio's son."

Ryan looked at him in disbelief. "Joshua is Horatio's son?"

Eric nodded. "That's what she's claiming. The time's right, too. Horatio left her in December and Joshua was born in July, that's enough time for a child to be conceived."

"And if it's true he's not going home with her." Horatio said, "If this boy is mine I'm filing for custody and I won't stop fighting until he's with me."

"Ok then," Ryan said, "Where do we start?"

"Get his cell phone number." Jessica said, "Get me his number and I'll try to track it."

"Jess, I don't think that's a good idea." Horatio said, "I'm going to be honest with you and say that I don't think you'll be able to remain unbiased."

Jessica's eyes burned when she looked at Horatio. "Are you going to recuse yourself?"

"No," Horatio sternly said, "This boy is possibly my son. I'm staying on this case."

"Which means this boy is possibly my little brother." Jessica retorted, "I'm not leaving this case. Besides tell me someone else who can track a cell phone even around a signal jammer?"

"I can," Ryan said, "You've taught me everything you know."

Jessica shot him an angry look. "That's not the point."

"Then what is the point?" Ryan asked. Jessica looked at him shocked. "Jessica, you hate this woman. Why would you want to save her offspring? Wouldn't that just be fueling the flame?"

"Ryan, this boy could very well be my brother. That makes him my family, not just hers. I _want_ to find this boy. I _want_ to save him. I _want_ to get him away from this woman." Jessica turned to Horatio. "Please Horatio, let me help you find your son. Let me do the right thing. Let me do this for Joey. She would want me to."

Horatio's eyes softened and they could see the pain that flowed through him. "Jess, what does this have to do with Joey?"

"Because that woman did this to her, I know she did. She's the reason Joey's dead. Please let me help find Joshua so he doesn't end up like Joanna."

Horatio sighed and shook his head. "Alright, for Joanna."

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><p>Jessica's fingers flew across the keyboard as commands and windows flashed across the screen. Ryan stood behind her, rubbing her neck, trying to relieve some of the tension. Jessica stared at the screen as she stopped typing. She rubbed her eyes and groaned. "Where are you Joshua?" she whispered to herself.<p>

"You can do this, Jess," Ryan said. "You can do this better than any AV guy we've got."

Jessica leaned her head back and looked up at him. "Thanks Ryan, that means a lot to me."

He smiled at her and leaned down, kissing her lightly on the lips. "I love you and we're going to find this kid. I'm going to go interview the other son and see if he can give us any information on his brother that might help."

"Alright, give me a call if you get anything."

"Will do," Ryan said as he walked out of the lab.

It was a short walk down the hall to the interview room where Samuel Richardson was being held. He was tall with black hair and brown eyes. He was nineteen and a student at Duke University, living with his mother during the summer.

Ryan sat across from him. He smiled and shuffled through his papers.

"Alright buddy, what can you tell me about your brother?"

Samuel sat there, staring at his feet. "Josh was tired of living with Mom." He quietly said, "He hated her really, couldn't stand all her rules."

"Do you think that's why he ran away?"

Samuel looked at Ryan with his large, hopeful brown eyes. "Was that really Izzy? Is she really alive?"

"Sam I need you to answer my questions. Then I'll be happy to answer any you might have."

"Will you really?"

"Yes, I swear you tell me about your brother and I'll tell you what you want to know."

Samuel sighed and drummed his fingers on the table. "Josh was troubled. He hated living with Mom. She was so controlling. He just wanted to live his life the way he wanted to, be his own person. But Mom wouldn't have any of it."

"Is that why you went to a college so far from home?" Ryan inquired.

Samuel nodded his head. "I had to get away from her and that house and the memories." Samuel looked out the glass wall of the interview room. Ryan followed his gaze and watched as Jessica ran down the hall and met up with Horatio. Samuel smiled and sighed again.

"You know I think it was the best and worst time when Horatio was living with us." Samuel said, "He married Mom and we moved in with Horatio about four months before Izzy's dad died. After she moved in Mom started becoming more controlling. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere near her. Mom said she was dangerous, but I didn't believe her. Yeah she had that tattoo and I knew what it meant but I didn't think she was actually serious about the whole Crip Kings thing. Mom didn't know but Izzy and I used to sneak out late at night. We'd sit in the kitchen, eating cookies from Mom's secret stash, just talking."

"How old were you when Horatio married your mother?"

"I was five," Samuel said, "Horatio was the third guy Mom had married that I could remember."

"Did your mother remarry after her divorce with Horatio?"

"Yeah, six times but never for more than eight months." He sighed and shook his head, "I thought this whole time Josh was Ray's son."

"Was Ray the guy she married after Horatio?"

"Yeah, pretty quickly, too. I thought it was a little fishy."

A knock on the window drew Ryan's attention away. He looked to see an excited Jessica standing on the other side, motioning for him to follow her. He nodded at her. _"__I__'__m__almost__done__here,__"_ he signed to her.

"_Ok,__"_ Jessica signed back, _"__But__make__it__quick,__I__found__Josh__'__s__location!__"_

"_Alright, that's my girl!"_

Ryan turned back to Samuel. He was still staring where Jessica had been standing. "Was that her?" he asked, "Was that Izzy?"

Ryan sighed and looked at him. "In a way it is."

"It looks like her, from what I can remember, but she signs the same way. I remember Izzy having a very specific way she signed, you know like how some people have ways they say certain words. Izzy's signing was very…flowy and she had a rhythm to it. That's Izzy, isn't it?"

Ryan smiled at the young man. "Elizabeth Caine died fourteen years ago Samuel."

"In a prison fight," Samuel finished. "That's what Mom told us. It's a lie, isn't it?"

"No, it's not a lie. Elizabeth Johnson Caine is dead. That woman you saw is Jessica Caine, Izzy's sister. They're twins in a way, I guess you could say."

Samuel looked at her longingly. "Can I please talk to her?"

"When our investigation is done I'll see about arranging a meeting for you two." Ryan said as he stood from the table.

Ryan walked back down the hall and found Jessica with Eric and Horatio in the layout room. There was a map on the light table and Jessica was talking while she circled the map.

"I got a hit on the GPS on Josh's phone." She glanced at Ryan as he walked into the room. "Hey Ry, you missed the fun part."

"That's ok, please continue." He said with a smile. Jessica briefly returned the smile before she continued on.

"I say let's head out and look for the kid." Jessica continued, "There's a hotel in the area so he could be staying there. Why? I don't know."

"I think he's a runaway." Ryan said. Jessica shot him a surprised look. "I talked to Samuel and he said Josh hated living with their mother. Said she was controlling and wouldn't let him do anything he wanted. He also said she had a habit of marrying guys and then ditching them within a year. Sounds like a pretty unstable home to me. I can see why the kid would want to run."  
>Jessica stood there, staring off into space while Ryan talked. "He was trying to escape, just like Joey."<p>

"Jess, who's Joanna?" Ryan asked.

Jessica shook her head and shuddered. "I'll tell you later, we need to get to this hotel now."

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><p>Horatio, Eric, Jessica, and Ryan stood outside the hotel room while the manager keyed them in. They walked inside to find the room empty. They began wandering around, examining everything.<p>

"You sure this is where the signal was coming from?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, I'm positive." Jessica said, "I checked it three times."

They began tearing the room apart, looking for any evidence that Joshua was there.

"There's nothing here Jess." Eric said, "If the kid was here he's gone now."

Jessica stood there in the center of the room. Ryan could see the wheels turning in her head. "He was here." She quietly said, "But someone else was, too."

Jessica rushed over to the door and began examining the frame. She ran her hands over the frame and her brow furrowed.

"Jess, what are doing?" Eric asked as he walked over to the door.

"Someone forced their way in." Jessica explained, "See these tool marks on the door frame and the handle. Someone jimmied the lock. They knew Josh was here, that he was a kid, and he was alone. We didn't think to look for forced entry because we were expecting to find him. This isn't a hide out for a runaway, this is a crime scene. Josh was kidnapped."

"Are you sure?" Eric asked.

"Yes, I'm positive. I mean it probably started out as a runaway but it became a kidnapping. We need to talk to the manager. I'm going to bet he's in on this." Jessica stood up and walked around the room. She stopped at the bed and stared at it for a moment. "This bed has been remade."  
>"How can you tell?" Eric asked her.<p>

"See how the comfort isn't tucked in at the end? Someone missed that step when they were trying to put it back together quickly." Jessica grabbed the blankets and started pulling them off.

"Wait Jess," Ryan said, "What about possible evidence?"

"He couldn't have been here long enough to use anything."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Eric asked.

"The soap in the bathroom is still wrapped." Jessica said, "Either this kid doesn't wash his hands or he never used the bathroom."

"So he didn't drop a load." Eric said, "Big deal."

"Eric, the first thing a runaway does is use the bathroom when one's available." Jessica explained, "When you're on the run you don't know the next time you'll have running water to shower. It's instinct."

"Ok, so what do you think happened?" Eric asked.

Jessica pulled the fitted sheet off the mattress. They stared at the hole cut in the center and the pillow top stuffing that was floating around it. Jessica grabbed her flashlight and looked into the hole. She reached in and pulled out a cell phone. "I think someone wanted us to know he's missing." Jessica said, flipping the phone open. She looked at the background on the screen and shook her head. She handed the phone to Horatio and he closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

The picture was of a young boy with brown hair and blue eyes. He was tied up and stuffed in the backseat of a car. A message overtook the screen and Horatio read it.

'Good job Caine, you've completed the first task. Now can you find him before its too late?'

Suddenly Ryan got a strange feeling. He was anxious. Something was about to happen, he could feel it. "Eric we need to get the manager." He said as he grabbed Eric's arm and ran from the room. Jessica and Horatio heard voices screaming. Jessica stood in the doorway just in time to see Eric and Ryan take the manager down. Ryan snapped handcuffs around his wrists and pushed him towards one of the Hummers. Eric ran back to the hotel room, breathing heavily.

"I think you're right Jess," Eric panted, "As soon as we came out the manager saw us and took off running. I think he's in on this kidnapping."

"Alright Eric," Horatio said, "Why don't you stay here and process this room while Jess, Ryan, and I go back to the lab to talk with the manager and Suzanna."

"Sounds good H," Eric said.


	4. You watched

You watched

Ryan watched through the one way mirror as Calleigh questioned Suzanna. He heard the door click and turned to see Jessica walking in. He smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Hey love," he quietly said as he kissed the side of her head. Jessica was silent as she stared at the woman in the room. Ryan could feel how tense she was. He moved behind her and began massaging her neck and shoulders. "Everything alright?" he asked her.

Jessica shook her head. "It makes me sick to see that woman again." she said, "She was so cruel to us."

"You mean you and her kids?"

"Yeah, I got the worse of it for the most part because she said I was a monster, but she was still a pig to her own children. They had to dress a certain way, act a certain way, they could only be friends with certain people. I mean she made prison seem like a holiday."

Ryan chuckled lightly and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Who's Joanna?"

Jessica sighed and Ryan felt her tense again under his touch. "Joanna was her daughter. She was two years younger than me but you wouldn't have guessed it with how tall she was, but then again I wasn't even five feet tall at that point. She was an incredible person. She was so mature and just had this wisdom of someone beyond her years."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Ryan whispered in her ear. Jessica smiled weakly and felt herself melt into Ryan. "What happened to Joanna?" he quietly asked.

"Joanna was different, I could tell that as soon as I met her." Jessica continued with her story, "One day she had the music in her room playing really loud. Sue told me to go tell her to turn it down. When I knocked she didn't answer. I knew she was in there, I could hear her. So I opened the door and went in. She was sitting on her bed with another girl, one of her friends that was spending the night that night. They were kissing. I was shocked and Joanna was frightened. I just looked at her. I really didn't know what to say. I just walked in, turned down the music, and told her Sue said it was too loud. Then I left."

"What happened after that?" Ryan asked.

"Joey came into my room that night and asked if I had told anyone what I saw. I told her no, and I wasn't planning on it. I knew Sue would disapprove, but I didn't care. I told Joey she could love who ever she wanted to. I didn't see anything wrong with her loving another girl. She started crying and hugged me. She asked me to promise never to tell anyone." Jessica sighed. "Well I guess I don't have to keep her secret anymore now that she's dead."

"How did she die?"

"Joey was secretly writing letters to me when I was in prison. She got a PO Box at the post office just down the street from her school. She would write letters to me during lunch and then drop them off after school before she walked home. She said life was terrible with Sue and that she missed me and Horatio. She asked if she could come and visit me and I told her I would love if she would. She never did though. She killed herself. The last letter I got from her was the day she died. Joey said she was so happy that were sisters, even if it was only because our parents were married. She said she loved me and she would never forget me. She was sorry that she never came to see me and wished she could get away from Sue. She said she couldn't live with the pain anymore, that Sue had ruined any chance she had of loving someone. 'I love you Izzy and I hope we see each other again someday in another life. Goodbye my dear sister.' That was the last line in her letter. Horatio came to visit me the next day and told me Joey had killed herself. I cried, I cried for days. I refused to eat, shower, I didn't even want to go out to the courtyard.

"That's when I knew I had to get out of prison. If I had been there I could have stopped her. I could have saved Joey. The next day I called Lieutenant Crawford and told him I wanted to make a deal."

Ryan held her close and kissed the top of her head. "Don't blame yourself Jess, it's not your fault."

"You're right, it's not." Jessica said coldly, "Never have I blamed myself for Joey's death. I knew if I was there I could have helped her, maybe even stopped her, but I'm not the reason she killed herself. The real reason is sitting in that room, in that chair."

"I don't know why I'm here," they heard Suzanna say, "I know who took my son. It's that bitch Izzy."

"Ma'am," Calleigh said to her, "There isn't anyone employed at Miami Dade by the name Izzy. And you're here because we're interested in Joshua's home life. Is there any reason he would want to runaway?"

"No, of course not!" Suzanna exclaimed, "Joshua was very happy, especially because he never had to be around that monster Izzy."

Jessica's blood boiled. She broke from Ryan's grip and stormed out the door. "Jessica don't!" Ryan said as he followed her.

The door flew open and Calleigh jumped as Jessica stormed in. She sat in the chair next to Calleigh and stared at Suzanna.

"So you think I'm a monster?" Jessica fumed, "You think I'm a monster because I was forced to join a gang. Because I was tormented by a boy. Because I was forced to rob people, shoot people, fight, perform sexual acts on random men, because I was _raped_. Because I went through all that pain and torture I'm a monster." Jessica leaned forward and stared at Suzanna with cold hard eyes. "You know, Sue, that sounds a lot like someone else I know. Actually you know I'm pretty sure Joey said you were a monster before she died."

"Don't you dare talk about my daughter like that!" Sue exclaimed as she hastily stood from her chair. "You have no right to talk about my Joanna!"

"Oh please, you know you're the one that drove her to the grave!" Jessica said, also standing from her chair. They began circling around the table, sizing each other up. "You're the reason the one girl who I considered my sister is dead! You're the reason my father lost everything!"

"Shut up!" Suzanna exclaimed, her hands flying to her temples. "Just shut up! You don't know anything about my family!"

"I know what you did to Joey!" Jessica yelled. Suzanna looked at her terrified. "I know what you did to her that night." Jessica continued, lowering her voice, "I know the pain and suffering you put her through. I know why she killed herself."

"How could you know?" Suzanna asked, "She didn't leave a letter. No one knows why."

"I know what you did to her." Jessica said, "I know about you trying to fix her." Tears formed in her eyes and she choked on her words. "But there was nothing wrong with her. You didn't fix her, you broke her. You just stood there and watched your daughter-"

"Stop it!" Suzanna yelled, covering her ears, "Stop talking!"

"You stood there and watched! You sick fuck! You did this to her!"

Horatio was suddenly rushing through the door with Frank. He grabbed Jessica and pulled her into his arms, pulling her from the room. Frank escorted Suzanna from the room, leaving Calleigh sitting there alone, stunned and confused. Ryan walked in and stood at her side. He placed his hand on Calleigh's shoulder.

"What just happened?" Calleigh quietly asked.

Ryan sighed and shook his head. "I think Jessica has another secret that's been eating at her."


	5. The Guility Ones

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been super busy with the holidays.**** I hope everyone had a great week! :D**

* * *

><p>The Guilty Ones<p>

Jessica sat at the table in the interrogation room. Horatio was sitting next to her, stroking her back in a soothing manner, Eric and Frank looked at her. Eric sat in the chair across from Jessica.

"Jess, we need you to talk to us." Eric said, "You may something about why Joshua ran away."

Jessica shook her head. "I can't, I promised Joey I would take this secret to my grave. I told her I would never tell anyone what happened."

"Please Jessica," Eric begged, "We need to know what happened. Think of it this way- if the information you have proves that Suzanna is an unfit parent Horatio could easily gain custody of Joshua. You could help us save your little brother."

Jessica continued to stare at him, tears streaming down her face. "I can't, I made a promise."

"Jessica Elizabeth Stone Caine," Horatio said, "You need to tell us."

"But Daddy-"

"No!" Horatio snapped, "You have to tell us!" He turned Jessica so she was looking into his eyes. "Are you Elizabeth Johnson?"

"No but-"

"Then you can tell us. Izzy's dead, she took Joey's secret to her grave. Now you need to help your sisters and tell me what happened."

Jessica began sobbing loudly. She buried her face against Horatio's shoulder. "Fine, I'll tell you."

_III _

Izzy awoke with a start. Something had shocked her awake, but she didn't know what. She sat up and listened. Suddenly her blood ran cold as she realized what it was. She climbed from her bed and ran down the hall to her parent's bedroom. She pressed her ear against the door and listened.

There were voices, three of them, one man, one woman, and someone screaming and begging. Who was the man? Her father was working late that night at a stake out so it couldn't be him. She pressed her ear harder against the wood and closed her eyes, focusing her energy on the sound behind the door.

Sue was in the room, she recognized her snotty, whiny voice. The man sounded familiar, but Izzy couldn't place his voice. She carefully opened the door and peeked inside. The man had black hair and was tall and muscular. Izzy immediately recognized him as Ray Esper, Sue's golf instructor. They were naked on the bed, having sex.

Izzy nearly vomited at the sight. She was so angry she wanted to rush in and beat both their brains in. Then she heard someone whimper, like they were in pain. Izzy craned her neck in farther. She nearly gasped when she saw Joey pinned beneath her mother's body, tears running down her cheeks, her hands tied to the bedposts. Joey looked at the door and saw Izzy. Izzy started to walk into the room but Joey shook her head and motioned for her to leave. Izzy hid behind the door and watched as Sue defiled the bed she shared with Horatio and her daughter.

When they were done Sue and Ray stood from the bed. "See Joanna, that's what you're supposed to do." Sue said flatly, "No girls, just men. Now it's your turn."

"No, please no!" Joey begged as Ray climbed on top of her. "Please don't! No!"

Izzy nearly slammed the door shut. She didn't want to see, she couldn't watch. She sat there and listened to Joey's screams as she begged the man to stop, crying out in pain. Izzy ran back to her room and sobbed into her pillow, feeling defeated knowing there was no way she could stop him.

Izzy was disgusted. How could Sue do that? Let alone to her own daughter! Izzy suddenly felt a rage towards the woman she had never felt before, not even for James. She climbed from her bed. She pulled on her boots and coat. She dug through her dresser until she found the baggie and her knife.

Izzy snuck out the front door of her father's house. Ray's car was parked at the curb. Izzy jimmied the lock and popped the door open. She hid the baggie under the panel in the glove box. She then popped the cover off one of his tail lights off. She busted the bulb with the butt of her knife and replaced the plastic cover.

Then she ran into the garage. She slashed the tires on Sue's car, deflating them completely. Then she started running her knife down the side of that stupid car. She stabbed the knife into the metal and dragged all the way down the side. She screamed as loud as she could. She stood at the end of the car, staring at the bumper. She dragged the knife through the rubber as the tears poured down her face. When she was done she stared at her work. "Child Rapist" now crudely craved into the black rubber.

"Fucking bitch," Izzy muttered to herself.

She stood and walked back into the house. She knew her father would see the car and know it was Izzy who did, but she didn't care. Sue said she was a monster, she might as well prove it.

_III _

Horatio sat there stunned. He couldn't believe what Jessica had just told him. He stared into her deep blue eyes for a moment before he pulled her against his chest. "Oh Izzy," he muttered.

"Do you understand why I couldn't tell you?" Jessica quietly asked. "Joey didn't want anyone to know. She didn't want anyone to know she was damaged."

"Jessie Bug," Horatio said, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," Jessica mumbled into the fabric on his jacket, "I was scared and I didn't know what to do and Joey asked me not to tell anyone."

"This explains Sue's car and why her golf instructor was arrested for possession of marijuana. And why she spent so much time practicing golf but never seemed to get any better."

"Well this changes everything." Frank said, "If that's what she did to her daughter that makes me wonder what she did to her other children."

"Yeah I think we might some evidence of other child abuse." Eric said, "But we need to find this kid first."

"You still don't know where he is?" Frank asked.

"We have absolutely no clue." Eric explained, "I didn't find any evidence besides the tool marks and some smudges on the door knob. The manager is refusing to talk until he gets a lawyer."

"Of course," Frank scoffed, "The guilty ones always want a lawyer."


	6. Blood

Blood

Jessica was wandering through the hall. She had been sitting in Horatio's office, trying to calm down. She suddenly felt agitated and needed to move. Her arms were crossed against her chest and she gave a dirty look at anyone that looked at her. She stopped outside the interview room where Eric and Frank were interviewing the hotel manager with his lawyer. Jessica looked at him and stared at the tattoo on his neck. It was a bloody knife with wings. Her blood ran cold as she realized what it was.

Jessica bolted down the hall, searching for her father. She skidded to a stop outside the layout room where Horatio and Ryan were talking.

"He's a Blood!" Jessica exclaimed, "He's a Blood Brother!"

Horatio looked at her confused. "Who's a Blood Brother?"

"The hotel manager, he's a Blood Brother."

"How do you know?" Ryan asked.

"He's got the ink on his neck, left side. That's where Sami had hers before she got it removed. She says that's where they all put it."

Horatio's eyes widened as he realized what Jessica was getting at. "You think that the manager saw Joshua come in alone and knew he could hold him for ransom."

"Yes," Jessica said, "I think that's exactly what's going on."

"But if they're holding him ransom why haven't we been contacted yet?" Ryan asked.

A scream that rang out in the hall answered their question. All three took off down the hall. Suzanna was screaming and crying as she stared at her phone. "They've got my baby! They've got my baby!"

Horatio grabbed her phone and looked at the screen. There was another picture of the young boy with the blue eyes. He was tied to a chair, his mouth duct taped shut, blood running from his nose and his left eye swollen shut. 'Come and get it if you want it.' scrolled across the bottom.

Horatio felt his chest tighten and his breathing become more labored. Jessica snatched the phone from his hand and ran back down the hall.

"Where is she going with my phone?" Suzanna yelled, "She's stealing my phone!"

"No she's not." Ryan said, stepping forward, "Its evidence now and she's about to track it and see where that message came from."

"She can't do that!"

"Yes she can. She's an officer of the law and a forensic scientist." Ryan retorted, "And a damn good one at that."

"Well when am I getting my phone back?"

"You seem awfully worried about that phone." Ryan commented, "Shouldn't you be worrying about your child?"

"I am!" Suzanna shrieked.

"Well Jessica needs your phone to find him."

"I don't trust that girl!"

"Well I do," Ryan stated, "I trust Jessica with my life."

"But to what degree?" Suzanna snapped.

"Enough that we've been together for ten months now, not that it's any of _your_ business who Jessica's dating," Ryan said. He turned on his heels and headed down the hall after Jessica.

Suzanna stood there dumbfounded, watching Ryan walk away. She looked at Horatio, still gapping. "He's _dating_ Izzy?"

"No Suzanna," Horatio said, "Ryan's dating my daughter Jessica. He can't date Izzy because she's dead."

Suzanna was flustered. She crossed her arms and took a step away from Horatio. "Just get me back my phone."

"When Jessica's done processing it you can have it back, _after_ we close the investigation." Horatio said as he turned and walked away.

"_Fucking__bitch,__" _he thought, _"__If__that__boy__is__my__son__he__'__s__not__going__back__to__you__molester.__"_

Horatio found Jessica and Ryan in the AV lab. Jessica was sitting at her favorite computer, pounding on the keys. Windows flashed across the screen and her eyes seemed to be glazed over as she studied the message. A map appeared on the screen and a red, pulsating circle appeared on the map grid.

"There!" Jessica exclaimed, "There he is!"

"Is this the one who sent the message?" Horatio asked, walking up to the computer.

"Yeah, he's in an abandoned warehouse over by the airport." Jessica said. She turned and looked at her father. "Please Dad, let me go with you."

Horatio looked into her blue eyes. He placed his hand on her cheek and grazed his thumb across her skin. He sighed and gave her a weak smile. "I have a feeling if I tell you no you'll go anyways."

Jessica gave him a small smile. "Thanks Dad."


	7. Searching

Searching

The swat team ran around the perimeter of the building, peering into windows. They gestured for Horatio and Jessica to follow them. Eric and Ryan hustled in behind them. They spread out and began searching the large building. There was broken down equipment and old desks in what had been offices. Jessica's heart pounded hard in her chest as she ducked in and out of rooms, searching for the boy that might be her family. She jumped and yelped when someone touched her back. She spun and punched whoever was behind her. Ryan grunted and staggered backwards, covering the spot on his side where Jessica had hit him.

"Oh god Ryan!" Jessica quietly said, rushing to his side. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's ok," Ryan gasped, "I was trying not to scare you. Guess I did a terrible job."

"I'm so sorry pumpkin." Jessica said again, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, the vest took the brunt of it." He said as he adjusted his bullet proof vest. "You just knocked the wind out of me a bit, that's all."

They continued their search of the building. Jessica and Ryan were peering inside an old office on the second floor when Jessica felt her heart skip a beat.

"Ryan, there he is!" she whispered.

"Where?" Ryan asked, straining to see around her.

"There," Jessica said, pointing inside the room.

In the center of the room was a chair. A young boy was tied to the chair. Jessica darted into the room. Ryan grabbed for her arm but missed. He followed her, looking for any signs of danger.

Joshua's eyes grew twice in size at the sight of Jessica. She dropped to her knee and pulled out a knife. "It's ok Josh," she said as she began cutting the ropes, "My name's Jessica and this is Ryan. We're here to help you."

Ryan carefully tried to pull the duct tape off Joshua's mouth as gently as he could. He stared at Ryan, his eyes wild and crazed. "Everything's going to be ok buddy." Ryan reassuringly said, "We're going to get you back to your brother and mom." Joshua's bottom lip trembled and his eyes watered. Then his eyes darted to other side of the room. "Look out!" he suddenly screamed.

Jessica and Ryan turned just in time to see six men come running out of another room. They grew their weapons and began firing. Three immediately dropped to the ground and two others followed close behind. The last one shot towards Joshua. Jessica grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. Joshua was pressed between her back and the wall and he heard her cry out and gasp as he knew bullets hit her.

Jessica collapsed forward and gasped for air. The bullets hadn't penetrated her bullet proof vest but it felt like a horse had kicked her in the chest. Ryan shot at the man and he fell to the ground. Ryan ran and began kicking weapons away from each of the bodies. He found the same tattoo as the hotel manager on each of their necks.

"You were right Jess," he said, running back to her, "They all have the same ink."

"Of course they do," a man's voice said, "They're my minions."

Jessica and Ryan turned and raised their glocks as another man entered the room. He had a cold smile and his teeth were rotted out. He stopped at the body of the first man and knelt beside him. He grabbed a fist full of his hair and lifted his head. A single bullet hole in his forehead told how he had died.

"I see your reputation as a one shot killer perceives you, Caine." The man said, "But I hear you weren't as sharp a shooter when you were in Chicago."

"Who are you?" Jessica demanded.

The man chuckled and walked towards her. "Just an admirer." He said, "I've heard of you, Jessica Caine. Starting your life out as a Crip King and now you're the law, I'm impressed. You tricked thousands of people into thinking you're dead and you've been hiding this whole time. Right there, out in the open."

"Why did you take Joshua?" Jessica asked.

"Well because I needed something to lure you in with. I have contacts in Chicago and they said this boy and his family were coming to Miami. I got word the youngest might be the son of Horatio Caine, so naturally I wanted to meet this boy. He just made it easier by running away. When I got the call from my brother at the hotel I acted as fast as I could. I stole the kid and left his phone. I know how you work. I knew where you would look."

The man advanced towards Jessica. She clicked the safety off on her glock and pointed it at the man. "Who _are_ you?"

The man chuckled. "My name is Ernst and I've been watching you for a while Elizabeth Johnson."

He was quick to raise his gun but Jessica was faster. Her shot rang out and the man fell to the ground. She lowered her glock and ran over to the man. She kicked his gun away and stared at him.

Jessica turned back towards Joshua, who was cowering in the corner now. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Are you ok?" she asked him, "You're not hurt, are you?" Joshua shook his head slowly. He was still in shock. "Come on," Jessica said, "We need to get you out of here." She pulled him up and held his hand. "Come on, you can trust me, I promise."

Jessica and Ryan rushed from the room. Ryan rambled into his radio as they made a beeline for the door. Horatio and Eric met up with them outside as an ambulance arrived on the scene. Before the paramedics took Joshua away Horatio stopped them. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an evidence envelope and a cotton swab.

"Can you open your mouth for me, son?" Horatio quietly asked. Joshua hesitantly opened his mouth. Horatio rubbed the swab on the inside of his cheek and then sealed it inside the envelope.

"Are you Horatio?" Joshua quietly asked.

Horatio smiled at him and nodded his head. "Yes, I'm Horatio Caine."

"You were who I was really looking for." The paramedics pushed the stretcher away and Joshua was lifted into the ambulance.

Horatio stood there and watched the ambulance drive away as the medical examiner van pulled up. Jessica walked over and stood next to her father.

"Do you think he knows?" she asked him.

"I don't know," Horatio said, "But I think he was trying to find out for himself."


	8. Thicker than Water

Thicker than Water

Natalia stood there and watched the DNA analyzer work. Horatio had asked her to rush a sample he had left with her. Natalia knew why, she was supposed to compare it to Horatio's DNA. Suzanna said Joshua was Horatio's son but Horatio needed solid evidence in order to gain full custody.

Horatio and Jessica walked into the DNA lab at that moment.

"What do you got, Natalia?" Horatio asked her.

"I don't know," Natalia said, "It's not done yet."

"How much longer?"

"It should only need a few more minutes." The computer beeped and began printing the results. "Or it's done right now. Good timing, H." Natalia grabbed the print out and read over it. She sighed and shook her head. "Well I don't this is either good news or bad news depending on how you look at it."

Natalia handed the paper to Horatio, who quickly read over it. He sighed and felt his chest grow tight. Joshua wasn't his son. "Well I guess I see this as a bad thing."

"Why's that, H?" Natalia asked.

"Because if this boy was my son I could at least get him away from Sue." Horatio tossed the print out back onto the table and leaned against it. "There's no way the court would grant me custody if I'm not a biological parent."

"What about Samuel?" Jessica asked, "He's over eighteen, he could be granted guardianship."

"Not if Sue is an able bodied parent." Horatio said, "She has no reason to not win custody."

"What if she went to prison?" Jessica quietly asked.

Horatio and Natalia both looked at her shocked. "What are you talking about, Bug?" he asked.

Jessica shifted uncomfortably. "Well think about it, she allowed a man to rape her daughter because she was a lesbian, who eventually killed herself, her oldest son went to a college out of state, and her youngest son tried to runaway while they were on vacation in a city he's never been in. There has to be something wrong with their home. I bet if we investigate we could find more evidence of some form of child abuse. I mean we can't get her for child molestation because of the statue of limitations but there has to be something going on that Josh was running away from."

Horatio looked at his daughter, thinking about what she said. "You think Sue's abusing her children?"

"Well maybe not abusing but at the very least neglecting. And I think he's conning men into marrying her." Jessica continued, opening the file folder she had in her hand. "Look at her records for the last fourteen years. She marries a guy and before the first year is up she leaves him. Plus every time just before the divorce she drains their bank account and disappears, leaving the guy high and dry." Jessica looked at Horatio. "Just like she tried to do with you. She took your house Dad and almost got away with your furniture and personal belongings, and I'm going to bet that if you hadn't gone to the bank the next morning when they opened she would have drained your account. She's a con artist Dad. She has half a dozen bank accounts all over the state of Illinois, each under a different last name, including one for a Suzanna Caine."

Horatio tried to take in everything Jessica was telling him. His head was starting to hurt and this case was becoming more complex by the minute.

"She still lives in that house." Jessica said, "That house you bought and she moved into. She still lives there."

Horatio sighed and shook his head as he rubbed his temples. "I'm not even going to ask how you found all this out because it was probably illegally obtained."

"Not if I had a search warrant." Jessica said, pulling out a search warrant signed by Judge Greg Iddings. "I called Judge Iddings and he signed it for me. So this was all legit."

Horatio shook his head and gave her a playful shove. "I wish Brian had never taught you how to hack some days."

"But you're always glad he did." Jessica said with a smile. She gathered her things. "So are we going to talk to Sue about her parenting skills?"

Horatio couldn't help but lightly chuckle. "Alright, let's go see what she's got."

* * *

><p>Jessica walked into the interrogation room, her bullet proof vest in one hand and pliers and evidence envelopes in the other. She slammed the vest onto the table across from Suzanna, causing her to jump.<p>

"What are you doing?" Suzanna snapped, "Where are the others? Why would they leave me alone in a room with a monster?"

"Oh I'm a monster?" Jessica angrily asked, "I don't think so. And we're not alone, Detective Tripp and Lieutenant Caine are behind that one way mirror and this young man is also still here." Gesturing towards Officer Davidson who was standing in the corner. "So you're perfectly safe from the supposed monster."

"What's that?" Suzanna asked, looking at the vest disgustedly.

"This is my bullet proof vest." Jessica explained as she pulled out her knife and began cutting at the MDPD letters printed across the front. She used the pliers to extract a bullet from the middle of the letter P. She held the spent round up for Suzanna to see. "And this is the bullet I took trying to save your son. A mobster shot at him, but I shielded him."

Suzanna looked at her shocked. "You protected my baby from someone shooting him?"

"Yup," Jessica said as she dropped the bullet into a pre-labeled envelope. "In fact I did more than just that." She dug out the other two bullets and dropped them into their envelopes. "I took three bullets for him. Your son is alive because a monster protected him. How does that make you feel Sue?"

Suzanna stared at her. She was speechless. Jessica knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of her.

"Well if we're done here I've got a DB in autopsy and a dozen guns I need to test fire to figure out which bad guy shot me." Jessica said, collecting her things. She smiled at Suzanna with a cold expression. "It was good meeting you, Sue. Izzy told me so much about you and it seems everything was true."

* * *

><p>Ryan and Eric sat in the interview room with Samuel and Joshua. The brothers were clearly still shaken but they were relieved to be together again.<p>

"Joshua," Ryan said, "Why did you run away?"

Joshua looked at Ryan with a frightened expression. "I didn't want to live with my mom anymore."

"Why wouldn't you want to live with your mom?" Ryan inquired, jotting down notes.

"I didn't like her." he quietly said, "She was mean."

"What did she do to you?"

"She was always yelling, telling me that I was a piece of trash, an unwanted baby, the result of a bad decision. She never told me she loved me, she never cared for me."

"Did your mother ever hit you?" Eric asked.

Joshua scoffed and rolled his eyes. "No, she did worse."

"Can you tell us about it?" Eric asked.

Joshua was silent. Samuel held his hand and leaned in and whispered in his ear. Joshua looked at him and then stared at a spot on the table. "Mom was physically abusive. When I made her mad she would punish me by locking me in a closet or making me sleep outside in the dog house all night. One time she threw me down the stairs. I broke my collar bone but she wouldn't take me to the hospital. She told me I had to learn my lesson. The next day at school the teacher noticed something was wrong and took me to the nurse's office. I was rushed to the hospital from school."

"Did your school follow up with your mother about the situation?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, but Mom claimed that I was fine when I left. She said I must have fell on the playground before school or on the walk to school. They believed her because I didn't say anything."

"How old were you when this happened?" Ryan asked.

"I was nine, fourth grade."

Ryan sighed and leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "Did your mother ever become physically abusive after that?"

"Yes," Joshua said, tears forming in his eyes. "She had all sorts of methods for punishing so that no one would know. Her favorite was to take a serving fork and heat it up on the stove and then press it to my back."

Ryan and Eric stared at him shocked. "Did she really?" Eric quietly asked. Joshua stood and turned his back to them. He lifted his shirt. Across his back were several prong shaped scars.

"Oh god," Eric muttered. He lifted his camera and walked towards Joshua. "Would you mind if I took a few pictures?"

"I don't know," Joshua muttered as he pulled his shirt back on.

"Yes, please do," Samuel said, "And when you're done you can take pictures of mine." He lifted his shirt and exposed scar tissue all across his back. "The only one she never did it to was Izzy, and I think that's because she knew Izzy would tell Horatio."

"This abuse was going on while Horatio was married to your mother?" Ryan inquired.

"Yes," Samuel answered, "But I don't think he ever knew because he was always working. He had to though, Mom never worked. Horatio wouldn't have let this happen if he knew."

Eric sat back down next to Ryan as Samuel and Joshua sat in their chairs across the table. Ryan looked at the young boys. They were terrified and alone.

"What are you studying at Duke University, Samuel?" Ryan asked, trying to ease the tension a little.

"Criminal Justice, Pre-Law," Samuel said, "I want to be a lawyer someday."

Ryan smiled. "That's a good choice. My Uncle went to Law School, too."

Eric chuckled and shook his head. "Uncle Ron, a lawyer?"

"Yup believe it or not," Ryan chuckled. "What about you Josh? What do you want to study in college?"

"Criminal Justice," Joshua whispered, "I want to be a cop. I want to protect people from bad people like my mom. Just like Horatio does."

* * *

><p>Horatio, Eric, Ryan, and Jessica met in the layout room. Eric and Ryan had just finished filling Jessica and Horatio in on their interview of the sons.<p>

"I think Jessica's right." Eric said, "There's some major child abuse going on here. I mean look at these scars. Samuel's are obviously old but Tom thinks these ones on Joshua's back here are as new as two weeks ago."

Horatio sighed and shook his head. "I should have known."

"Don't beat yourself up, Horatio." Ryan said, "No one knew this was going on."

"Not even me," Jessica whispered. "I knew something was going on when I heard Samuel screaming in the kitchen. Suzanna had locked me in my bedroom and dragged Samuel downstairs. I heard him scream and beg her to stop."

"Why didn't you ever tell me, Bug?" Horatio asked.

"I was scared," she whispered, "I was afraid Suzanna would find out I told you and she would hurt me."

Frank walked into the layout room. "Well I got it, a warrant for the arrest of Suzanna Richardson from the state of Illinois for child abuse and neglect and a warrant from the state of Florida for child neglect and abandonment. Davidson and I are going to go get her right now."

"Very well Frank," Horatio quietly said.

Jessica walked over and wrapped her arms around him. Horatio held his daughter close and kissed the top of her head. "I love you Bug," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Daddy H," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, I should have never married her."

"But if you hadn't we would have never figured this all out." Jessica said smiling at him hopefully. "I told you everything happens for a reason, even the bad parts."

Horatio smiled and kissed her forehead. "Let's go watch Sue get arrested."

Jessica giggled and held his hand. "Ok, I think I can deal with that."

* * *

><p>Suzanna didn't go quietly. She screamed about her innocence as Officer Davidson led her down the hall. "Oh shut up," Frank bluntly said, "I've been working here for over twenty years and I'm tired of hearing the same old thing every day. Say something original for once."<p>

Samuel and Joshua watched as their mother boarded the elevator. She looked at them and tears formed in her eyes. "I love you Sammy and Josh! Please don't hate me baby!"

Samuel looked at his mother and felt tears form in his eyes. "You're too late Mom. You should have said that nineteen years ago."

The doors to the elevator closed and Suzanna was gone forever.

Samuel pulled his little brother into his arms. They stood there and cried together, knowing they were finally free. Horatio walked over and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. Samuel looked at him and cried more as he wrapped his arms around Horatio.

"Thank you Horatio," he said as he cried, "Thank you for saving us."

"Not a problem," Horatio said, "I was just doing my job."

Samuel pulled back and looked at Horatio. He looked at Joshua and then back at Horatio. "Is Josh really…"

"No," Horatio said, "He's not my son. This Ray guy your mother married after I left her really is his father."

"But he was born in July, only seven months after you left." Samuel said.

"That's because Suzanna was having an affair." Horatio said, "My daughter told me she caught them on several occasions together. She never told me because she was afraid I would have thought she was lying. Suzanna was two months pregnant with Ray's baby when I left."

Samuel looked at Horatio with hopeful eyes. "Horatio, Izzy, is she really…"

"Samuel, Izzy's dead." Horatio said, "But she does have a sister." Horatio turned and looked down the hall. Samuel followed his gaze. Standing down the hall next to the door to the interview room was the young woman with the blonde hair and blue eyes. Samuel felt tears pour over his eyes and down his cheeks. "She wants to talk to you, too." Horatio quietly said, "She knows you have a lot of questions to ask her and she's willing to tell you anything you want to know."

Samuel looked at Horatio and rubbed the tears from his eyes. "Really?"

Horatio smiled at him hopefully. "Yes, she promises no secrets."

Samuel looked back at the young woman, still waiting for him. "What's her name?"

"Jessica Elizabeth Stone Caine," Horatio said, "She's Izzy's twin."

Samuel smiled and wiped more tears from his eyes. "I didn't know Izzy had a twin."

"Neither did I," Horatio said, "But she did. They share a past but they're not the same person."

Samuel slipped his hand into Joshua's and looked at his little brother. "Come on Josh, let's go meet Jessica." Joshua silently nodded his head.

The brothers walked down the hall together towards the young woman. Horatio watched as Samuel and Jessica embraced for a moment before they walked into the interview room.

Ryan stood next to Horatio and smiled. "It's been a crazy day, hasn't it H?"

Horatio chuckled and continued to look down the hall. "It certainly has Mr. Wolfe."

"We need a vacation," Ryan said.

Horatio nodded his head. "Not a bad idea at all, but on one condition."

"What's that?" Ryan asked.

"We keep Jessie Bug on a leash." Horatio joked, "I don't need her wandering off and causing chaos in a strange town."

Ryan laughed and nudged Horatio's arm. "Alright, it's a deal."


	9. A seat for two

**I forgot to mention when I posted the last chapter that there was more to come and that wasn't the end of the story. This half of the story was originally going to be it's own story but the two were so short that I decided to just combine them. The tricky part was coming up with a title that fit both halves.**

* * *

><p>A seat for two<p>

The team sat in the conference room together, waiting for Horatio.

"What's the big surprise, Jessica?" Eric asked.

"I don't know, the old man wouldn't even tell me." Jessica said, "It's not like him to be so secretive." Horatio walked in and all conversation was silenced.

"Well I know you're all wondering why I've summoned you here." Horatio began, "The truth is we're all stressed and we all need a break."

"You're telling me," Walter muttered.

"I've talked to Internal Affairs and I've managed to get some break time for everyone." Horatio continued, ignoring Walter, "The only catch is we can't all take off time at once. So I've decided to allow the CSIs to take their break first."

Excited muttering and chatter began around the room at the notice of a vacation for the team.

"Then why am I here?" Frank asked.

"Because Frank you're as much a part of this team as anyone else." Horatio said, "The eight of you will be accompanying me on a vacation to a destination of my choosing." Horatio looked towards his daughter and smirked. "With a little help from someone."

"Hey, I thought you said you didn't know anything Jess," Eric said.

"No, I don't know anything," Jessica said.

"Well that's because I haven't planned anything yet." Horatio said, "We leave in a week. The temporary CSI team will be in two days before we leave so we can pass off any current cases and get the hell out of Dodge."

* * *

><p>Over the course of the week the team was so excited for their trip they had a hard time concentrating.<p>

"Where do you think Horatio's taking us?" Calleigh asked one day during lunch.

"I don't know but I'm hoping for a spa trip." Natalia said.

"Hey Jess," Eric said, "What are you and Horatio planning?"

"I'm not telling," Jessica playfully retorted, "That would ruin the surprise."

"Oh come on," Jesse said, "Just give us one little hint."

"Nope, none for you," Jessica said with a smirk.

"Do you know anything Wolfe?" Eric asked.

"No," Ryan said disappointed, "She won't tell me anything."

"Have you tried withholding sex?" Jesse asked, "I hear that gets results."

"Oh please," Ryan scoffed, "If I tried that Jessica would just get herself off with her hand or something…and probably make me watch."

The team laughed and continued eating their lunch.

"This is going to be a long week," Eric said.

* * *

><p>The day of the trip finally arrived. Everyone was to carpool to a predetermined location and meet Jessica and Horatio there. It was a long drive that took them out into the country, far from civilization. Ryan recognized the dirt road that Horatio's friend Maggie lived on as he passed it in Jessica's Audi with Eric and Natalia.<p>

"Where in the world are they taking us?" Natalia asked, looking out the window in the front seat.

"I don't have a clue," Ryan said as he stared out the windshield. "The _only_ thing Jessica would tell me before she left for Horatio's last night was to take her car instead of mine. And she said not to look in the trunk in the back."

"What's in it?" Eric inquired, leaning forward from the backseat.

"I don't know," Ryan replied, "I don't dare go against Jessica's orders."

Eric chuckled and leaned back in his seat. "Yeah, that would probably result in immediate bodily harm."

The GPS told him his destination was on the left and Ryan pulled onto the dirt path. He followed the twisting trail until it opened into a dirt clearing that appeared to be a parking lot. Frank was waiting with Jesse and Calleigh.

The team stood there in the dirt parking, waiting for who knew what.

"Why are we standing here?" Frank asked annoyed, "I thought Horatio said he and Jess would meet us here. Where are they Ryan?"

"I don't have a clue." Ryan answered.

Then their questions were answered as they heard something thundering towards them. Something brown and white came running out of the trees and towards them.

"Watch out!" Jessica screamed from her post on her horse, "He's bucking!"

The team backed away as the horse Jessica was riding began kicking and screaming. Dirt flew in all directions as he kicked wildly. Jessica pulled back on her reins and the horse threw his head about and began backing up. The horse started fighting less and pawed at the ground. Eventually he gave up the fight and stopped.

Jessica dismounted and calmly walked over to the team with the horse following her. Horatio came flying out of the trees on a horse with another horse following him without a mount.

"Are you ok, Bug?" he asked as he stopped and dismounted.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jessica answered, stroking the horse's neck.

"What happened?"

Jessica rolled her eyes and shook her head. "A flock of birds flew up out of no where and frightened poor Thunder here half to death. The poor thing didn't know what was going on."

"How did you get him to stop?" Walter asked, intrigued by the animal.

"Pulled back on his reins," Jessica said. "If you keep the horse's head up then he can't lift his hind legs, thus making it impossible to buck or rear up."

"Incredible," Walter muttered as he slowly reached out to the horse. He carefully stroke Thunder's muzzle and smiled. "He's not so bad when he's not bucking."

"Yeah, Maggie says he's a sweetie." Horatio said as he scratched the horse's neck.

"So what's with the horses, Chuck Norris?" Frank asked.

Horatio smiled. "We're going camping." He said, "My friend Maggie owns this camping center. She said we could borrow a few of her horses for some trail riding. There's a stable right by our camp sight."

Ryan walked towards the black horse that had been following Horatio. It snorted and rubbed its nose against his chest. He smiled and scratched his forehead. "Hey Trooper, do you remember me?"

Horatio looked at Ryan and smiled. "Horses actually have a better memory than people give them credit for."

"Wait," Natalia said with a laugh, "You got Ryan Wolfe, Mr. Wildlife and I don't get along, on a horse?"

"Yup," Jessica said with a smile, "It was my birthday and he had to do it."

"How long is the trail?" Ryan asked.

"About three miles," Horatio said, "Maggie could only give us Miguel, Thunder, and Trooper here, so everyone else is going to have to drive."

"Can I ride?" Calleigh eagerly asked, "I haven't ridden a horse in forever!"

"Yeah," Ryan said with a smile, "You can take Trooper, I'll drive Jessica's car with all our stuff."

"Oh thank you Ryan!" Calleigh exclaimed as she hugged him.

"Ah man," Jesse said, "I was kind of hoping to get a chance to ride."

"You can ride with me." Jessica said as she swung herself into her saddle. "Maggie gave me the Cadillac of saddles; I'll think we'll both fit."

"You sure?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, come on! It'll be fun!"

Jessica helped him up into the saddle and they adjusted their selves as Calleigh and Horatio climbed into their saddles.

"Here," Jessica said as she directed Jesse, "Scoot back a little, yeah like that. You'll have to give let me have the stirrups though."

"Why's that?" Jesse asked.

"Because if we get going too fast you'll want me to post, otherwise I'll start bouncing on top of your junk and not in a good way."

Jesse blushed slightly and smiled as he kicked his feet out of the stirrups. "I guess that's a good point."

"Oh and if he bucks again just slide off backwards and tuck and roll." Jessica said leaning her head back onto Jesse's shoulder so she could look him in the eyes. "I don't know if it'll happen again but plan for the worst. And don't worry, I'll come back for you."

Jesse chuckled. "Ok, where do I hold on?"

"Put your hands on my waist." Jessica said, taking his hands in hers and putting them on her hips. "Firm grip, but not too hard, I don't want any bruises."

"Alright then," Horatio said, "Frank you lead the way and Ryan you follow him. Come on and I'll give you directions."

Ryan watched as Jessica walked Thunder around the parking lot, trying to help Jesse get settled. Eric came up next to him and nudged him. "Can I ride in your car?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," Ryan answered, "You want to ride with us Natalia?"

"No, I think I'll go with Frank." Natalia said, "You know, make sure he doesn't get us lost."

"Can I ride with you guys?" Walter asked.

"Yeah Wally, I think there's room for you."

"But I call shotgun!" Eric exclaimed.

"Come on man!" Walter said, "I'm like half a foot taller than you!"

"Too bad, best friends first!" Eric said as he fist bumped with Ryan.

* * *

><p>It was a bumpy trail through the woods. It was a single dirt road that ran between walls of trees and when another car came towards them they had to pull off to the side of the road to let them pass. They had to drive slowly and the trip seemed to take forever. They rode in silence for a while before anyone spoke. It was Eric who broke the silence.<p>

"How are you doing, Ryan?" he asked.

Ryan looked at him confused. "I'm fine? Should I not be?"

"Well I was just wondering because, well, you know."

"Know what?" Ryan asked.

"Well because…uh, you know."

"No I don't Eric. I'm really confused actually."

"He wants to know if you're ok with Cardoza sharing a saddle with your girl." Walter exasperatedly said.

"Why wouldn't I be ok with it?" Ryan asked.

"Well Cardoza told me a while ago that he, well, you know." Eric stuttered.

"Eric, we have to quit playing this game. I really don't know what you're trying to tell me."

"He's worried because Cardoza said he has the hots for Jessica." Walter bluntly said. Eric shot him a dirty look. "What? It's true, you weren't saying it."

Ryan sighed and stared out at the road ahead of him. "I know how Jesse feels about her."

Eric looked at him surprised. "You do?"

"Yeah, he told me when she left for Denver."

"He did?" Walter asked.

"Yeah he did, and I'm ok with him spending time with her. They're best friends. So what if he's a guy? I'm not going to tell her she can't hang out with someone just because he's a guy."

Walter scoffed and leaned back in his seat. "Well if it was me I wouldn't let any guy spend any time alone with a girl like Jessica."

"Are you saying you think Jess would cheat on me?" Ryan proposed.

"No, but I wouldn't trust any guy alone with her."

"Well that's the difference between you and me Walter." Ryan said, "I trust Jessica. And I trust Jesse."

* * *

><p>The sun was high and bright as Jessica, Horatio, Calleigh, and Jesse rode across the field. They took the trail slowly to prevent heat exhaustion in their horses.<p>

Jessica sighed and leaned against Jesse with her eyes closed. She smiled when she felt his arms wrap around her waist. "Afraid I'm going to fall?" she quietly asked him.

"No, but better safe than sorry," he said. He leaned his head against hers and smiled. "You smell nice."

"Thank you," she said, "Ryan made me shower this morning."

"Does he have to do that a lot?"

Jessica giggled. "No, I'm just joking. I shower every day on my own."

Jesse chuckled and held her closer. "You're funny."

"You don't have to hold on that tight," Jessica said, "You're pinching my waist a little."

"Sorry," Jesse said with a blush.

Jessica leaned her head back and looked at him. "It's ok."

* * *

><p>Frank's Jeep pulled into the clearing and Ryan followed close behind in Jessica's Audi. A sign in the middle had the name "Caine" painted in big black letters.<p>

"So this is where we're staying for the next five days?" Frank asked as Ryan, Eric, and Walter walked over to him and Natalia.

"I guess so," Eric said.

They looked around, taking in everything.

"You want to check out that trunk now?" Eric asked Ryan.

Ryan sighed and turned back towards his car. "I guess so, not like Jess can do anything about it now."

Eric and Ryan opened the back of Jessica's car. The dark blue and silver trunk was buried under their luggage. They tossed duffle bags and suitcases into the backseat. Ryan unlatched it and opened the heavy lid. Inside were three tents, each stored in a nylon bag. Ryan and Eric set them on the ground and continued to search through the trunk. They pulled out three plastic packages. They were made of thick clear plastic and were each about four to six inches thick.

"What in the world are these?" Eric asked.

"Not a clue," Ryan said, turning one package over in his hand.

"Hey, I got a trunk in my car just like that." Frank said, "Horatio brought it over last night when he asked me to drive." Frank opened the back of his Jeep, revealing another matching trunk, this one a dark green. Frank popped it open and began looking through the camping supplies. "These freakin' Caines, you can't trust them."

The group stood around talking as they waited. Eric held one of the packages in his hand. It was six inches thick and three feet by about two feet wide. He examined a zipper along the side and stared at the white contents. Eric grasped the zipper and pulled. The package suddenly expanded and the contents began to regain their shape. He dropped it to the ground in fright and watched as the bag slowly grew in size.

"It's a space bag," Natalia said, "You know, one of those space saver bags where you vacuum the air out of."

"Oh yeah," Walter said, "My mom loves those things."

"So does my dad." The CSIs turned to see Jessica and Jesse come walking up on Thunder, Horatio and Calleigh following behind them. "Those are the bed rolls, there should be about ten of them."

"Ten bed rolls?" Frank asked, "Geez Horatio why didn't you just bring the whole PD department?"

Horatio shrugged his shoulders as he dismounted. "I like camping."

Jessica chuckled as Eric lifted the space bag and looked at it. "Gave you quite the fright there, didn't it Eric?"

Eric smiled and shook his head. "You knew one of us was going to try and open one. That's why you didn't tell us what it was."

Jessica giggled and leaned back against Jesse. "Yeah, I kind of figured you would."

Ryan suddenly felt a jolt of jealously at the sight of Jessica and Jesse together. He quickly pushed it away and remembered what he had said in the car. He promised himself he would keep true to his word, no matter what happened.


	10. Its called pitching

It's called pitching

"Ok, so wait, E1 goes into F2?" Ryan asked as he attempted to set up the tent with Eric.

"No, E1 goes into E2," Eric said, getting a little annoyed, "Geez Wolfe don't you ever go camping?"

"No, I've told you before I don't really get along with nature."

"Not even summer camp?" Eric asked as he looked over the directions to the tent again.

"Does science camp count?"

"Did you have to pitch your own tent?"

"No, we had cabins. We couldn't sleep in tents with our chemistry sets and our telescopes could get ruined if they stayed outdoors."

Eric laughed and shook his head. "Good thing you're dating Jessica Caine, maybe she can rough you up a little."

"Oh believe me she does," Ryan smirked, "Just not in nature."

Eric whacked him over the head with the instruction manual. "You're disgusting," he chuckled.

"You're still jealous because Calleigh stopped letting you get into her pants every night." Ryan retorted as he dove under the material of the tent.

"Shut your face you bitch!" Eric exclaimed as he started batting at Ryan.

"Whoa, no violence on vacation," Horatio said, "What's the problem here?"

"Wolfe's being gross!" Eric exclaimed.

"Eric's making fun of me because I don't know how to build a tent." Ryan defended.

"It's called pitching a tent pumpkin." Jessica said as she pulled Ryan out from under the material. "Geez, don't you know anything?"

Ryan chuckled and leaned in to kiss her. "Nope, now teach me oh wise one."

Jessica smiled against his lips and kissed him again. "Alright, I'll teach you to pitch."

"Yeah, just so you two can knock it down during the night." Eric scoffed.

"No, I'm sleeping in the girl's tent with Calleigh and Natalia." Jessica said as she began collecting the poles Eric and Ryan had scattered. "You get to share with Ryan and Jesse."

"Wait, where do I sleep?" Walter asked from where he was setting up another tent.

"That tent stupidhead." Jessica said, "Unless you want to risk getting eaten by a bear."

"There are bears out here?" Ryan asked, his head poking out from under the tent material.

Jessica giggled and kicked at him. "Yup, and no flushing toilets or sinks."

"Wait, what?" Ryan asked, slightly panicked.

Jessica laughed. "No I'm just kidding. Horatio and I requested a camp sight by one of the shower houses just for you. It's about a hundred yards that way." Jessica pointed to a hill. "I think it's on the other side of the hill. I don't know where though, I haven't looked for it yet."

Ryan sighed in relief. "Oh thank god."

Jessica giggled at his relief. "Nerd," she quietly muttered.

* * *

><p>Jessica sat on one of the log benches around the fire pit strumming on her guitar. She watched as Eric and Jesse attempted to pitch the girls' tent. Ryan sat next to her and smiled.<p>

"That's not Sebastian," he commented.

"Nope, this is Bernard," Jessica said, "I bought him to take when I don't want to bring Sebastian, you know if it's a rough trip or something."

"Are you going to serenade us while we try to set up the tent you're going to sleep in?" Jesse sarcastically asked.

"Yup, here goes," Jessica said. She quickly started strumming a simple chord progression as she made up the words as she went.

"Jesse and Eric pitching a tent,

"Doesn't look right because it's kind of bent.

"I hope they finish because I'm kind of cold

"Well I'm not really but Dad's getting old

"He could probably use a rest from riding that horse

"And uh oh, that ends this course!"

Jessica shoved the guitar into Ryan's arms as she took off running. Horatio chased after her and they sped off down a path into the woods.

Eric and Jesse watched them run and laughed. "You know I knew H could run fast and he kept in shape but damn," Eric said, "I think with Jess he runs twice as fast."

"You've got to be fast to catch Jessie Bug, right Ryan?" Horatio said as he walked back in with Jessica tossed over his shoulder.

"Every fucking time old man!" Jessica exclaimed as she pounded on his back. "Why do you always play this 'I'm too old for this' card and then chase me down and carry me back!"

"Damn H," Ryan said, walking over with the guitar hanging off his shoulder, "How did you catch her? I can never do that."

"Many years of practice," Horatio said. He looked at Jessica and smirked. "Free ass slaps!" he exclaimed as he smacked Jessica's ass. "Don't you dare old man!" Jessica exclaimed.

The team stood there silently for a moment. Eric came running over and slapped Jessica's butt hard and ran off. Jesse followed behind him with Calleigh closed behind. Natalia barely got her when Jessica dove downward and grabbed Horatio's knees and wrapped her legs around his shoulders. She pulled her legs down and Horatio began to bend backwards. He stopped himself by placing his hands flat on the ground, standing in an awkward back bend. He flipped to the side and Jessica rolled off to the side. She somersaulted and sprang back at him. She tackled him to the ground and he kicked her off and Jessica tumbled off head over heels. She rolled back onto her feet and ran at Horatio. He jumped to his feet and caught her around the middle and slammed her onto her back on the ground.

Jessica gasped and struggled to breathe as the wind was knocked out of her. Horatio looked down at her as he knelt to her side. Jessica held her arms above her head and took in a giant gulp of air. Her eyes watered slightly and she brushed them away. She looked at her father and shook her head.

"Someday old man I'm going to be able to pin you," Jessica gasped.

Horatio chuckled and held out his hand. He helped Jessica to her feet. "We'll see about that."

They smiled at each other and Horatio playfully punched her arm. The team stared at them, a little shocked.

"Did you just beat the crap out of Jessie Bug?" Frank asked.

Horatio chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Where do you think she learned hand-to-hand combat? They don't teach you that in Michigan, do they Bug?"

"Beat every guy that ever challenged me," Jessica proudly declared. She smirked and nudged Horatio again. "Even got me a few dates and marriage proposals."

"You had guys proposing to you at the Police Academy?" Jesse asked, struggling with the tent.

"Yup, after I used the same move Horatio just used to knock me out the guy looked up at me and said he was going to marry me." Jessica smiled at Jesse. "But I told him he was wrong."

Jessica jumped slightly and jabbed her elbow back hard. Ryan recoiled with pain and staggered a bit. Jessica flushed and rushed to his side. "Oh god Ryan, I can't believe I did that again! Are you ok pumpkin?"

"I'm fine," Ryan gasped, "But I'm never challenging you to hand-to-hand, you freaking beat me up when we're just standing around."

"In my defense the last time we were searching for dangerous criminals," Jessica retorted.

Ryan chuckled and leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Damn, you hit hard, too," Ryan muttered as he rubbed his stomach.

Jessica leaned into him. "Sorry pumpkin," she said quietly.

He rested his chin on the top of her head and smiled. "I'm fine, really I am."

"Jess, do you want to come and help us with this already?" Eric asked as he and Jesse continued to struggle with the tent. "You seem to know this better than us."

Jessica chuckled and walked over to them. "Didn't anyone ever teach you guys how to pitch a tent? My god, you're so needy."

Horatio watched as Jessica helped Eric and Jesse with the girls' tent. He looked over at Ryan, who was gliding his fingers down the neck of the guitar across the strings. He nudged him and gave him a small smile.

"Does it bother you?" Horatio quietly asked him. Ryan hesitated but nodded his head. "She waited for you though." Horatio continued, "She told me every time a guy proposed to her that she said no because she knew they weren't the right one. As much as she wanted to get married and start a family, Jessie Bug said none of them were the right one. She said her soul was still out there somewhere, waiting for her to find him."

Ryan looked up at him and smiled. "Thank H," he whispered.

Horatio wrapped his arm around Ryan's shoulder and held him close. "Someday, Mr. Wolfe, someday."

* * *

><p>Jessica unrolled her bedroll inside the tent. They were spacious inside. They were two rooms, one large bedroom and a spacious entryway that acted as a sort of living room.<p>

"Damn," Natalia said as she laid out her bedroll, "H doesn't mess around when he goes camping. Why does he have all this stuff?"

Jessica shrugged her shoulders as she laid out her sleeping bag. "He's lived a few different places so he has tents specialized for certain weather." She explained, "Like if there's a thunder storm we've got the best bet. The boys are screwed though." Jessica said with a smirk.

"So how long do you think it's going to take lover boy to come crawling to your side?" Calleigh asked Jessica with a smirk.

Jessica chuckled and smoothed out her blankets. "You know Ryan's trying to become more comfortable in situations outside his comfort zone." She said with a smile, "It really took a lot for him to get over the fact that he couldn't use bleach anymore. Poor guy was a basket case."

"So when's the wedding?" Calleigh asked with a smirk.

"Damn it Calleigh," Jessica snipped, "You say that one more time and I'm going to hurt you."

"Whatever," Calleigh said as she rolled out her sleeping bag, "You know it's true."

Jessica scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm going for a walk," she said as she ducked out of the tent.

* * *

><p>Jesse walked towards the stable. He was bored and decided he wanted to find the shower house and see the horses. He heard someone retching and turned and walked towards the source of the sound. Jessica was bent over kneeling on the ground. Her hand shook as she wiped bile from her mouth and stood on shaking legs. She jumped and yelped at the site of Jesse.<p>

"Oh dear god, Jesse," she exclaimed, "Don't sneak up on me."

"Sorry Jess," he said, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just got sick, that's all."

"Jess, are you sure you're only sick?"

Jessica sighed and looked at him. "Yeah, I'm sure. I ate something that upset my stomach."

"You sure that's all it is?"

Jessica looked at him and sighed. "I'm fine, really."

"Jessica, you're not…"

"No Jesse, I'm not pregnant," Jessica snapped, "Something's just irritated my stomach, that's all." She looked away from him and sniffed. "I know the risk I'm running if I get pregnant right now. I could cause major damage to myself and probably loose the baby. I don't want to do that. I can't loose another baby. Not another one with Ryan. You get it? I don't want a baby right now. I just have a stomach ache."

She pushed past him and walked back towards the campsite. Jesse sighed and watched her walk away. He followed her and found her talking to Horatio. He walked up and gently touched her arm. "Can I talk to you?" he quietly asked. Jessica looked at him and sighed but followed him away from Horatio.

They stood together by Jessica's car. She leaned against it and stared him with an irritated expression.

"I'm sorry Jess," he said, "I was wrong. I shouldn't question you like that. It's your business whether you and Ryan want to have a baby and I need to stay out of your life."

Jessica looked at him with a pained expression. "It's ok," she quietly said, "I appreciate you checking in on me Jesse, it shows you care."

He smiled at her and ran his hand through her hair. "Thanks," he whispered.

Jessica smiled at him and wrapped her arms around Jesse. He held her close and breathed in her scent. Jessica kissed his cheek and looked at him. "Thank you Jesse," she whispered.

Ryan watched as Jessica hugged Jesse. He didn't know what was going on. He felt a spike of jealously stab through his chest. He walked away, trying to hide from the scene.

Ryan walked into his tent and flopped down onto his sleeping bag. He reached into his duffle bag and looked through his stuff. He stumbled on the box of condoms he had packed and looked them over. He had bought the pleasure pack, hoping he and Jessica could spend some quality time together. Ryan sighed and stuffed the box into the bottom of the bag, wanting to forget about it. Ryan laid there for a moment before he decided to move again. He climbed out of his tent and walked around the campsite.

Jessica and Jesse came walking back, laughing and carrying firewood. Ryan looked away and paced. A pair of arms wrapping around his waist and lips on the back of his neck made him jump. "I caught you," Jessica whispered sing-song in his ear.

Ryan sighed and smiled. He turned and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned down and kissed her passionately. "That you did," he whispered in response.

"Come on," Jessica said, taking his hand.

They ran through the trees, Jessica pulling Ryan along. She stopped at the base of a tree and looked up at it. "I found this tree earlier when I went for a walk," Jessica explained as she began climbing up the slanted trunk. Ryan sighed and followed her upwards into the branches. Jessica stopped and sat on a large branch, straddling her legs on either side. Ryan climbed up and sat across from her. She smiled at him and he couldn't help but return it with one of his own.

"So why are we here, Jane Goodall?" he asked her.

Jessica scooted closer to him and smiled again. "I bet you've never kissed someone in a tree before," she said with a smirk. She gently kissed him and Ryan chuckled.

"Nope, you're the first," he said as he captured her lips again.

Jessica scooted even closer, almost sitting on his lap. Jessica ran her hands across his chest and back and slid her tongue into his mouth. Ryan chuckled and bit at her bottom lip. He slid his hands under her shirt and into her bra as he bit along her neck. Jessica giggled and squirmed as his hands roamed across her body. She unhooked her bra and Ryan's hands wandered across her skin.

"You're so hot," he whispered as he kissed her neck, "I'm so glad you're mine."

"And I'll always be yours," she whispered in his ear as she moaned lightly while Ryan toyed with her nipples.

Something small but hard hitting his head made Ryan stop and glance around. "What was that?" he quietly asked Jessica. "What was what?" she asked.

Another sharp pain in his shoulder made Ryan jump and he looked towards where the object had come from. Horatio hurtled another small rock towards Ryan and he tried to duck. He almost fell but Jessica caught him.

"Hey you hooligan!" Horatio hollered, "Hands off my daughter!" He chucked another rock towards Ryan but Jessica caught it and threw it back at him. "Back off old man!" she shouted back at him, "I'm trying to get laid in a tree!"

"Not on my watch!" Horatio said as he threw another rock.

"Damn it H," Jessica said as she started climbing back down, "You never let me have any fun."

Horatio laughed and watched Ryan stumble his way out of the tree. "I thought I let you have enough fun," he said with a grin.

Jessica scoffed as she re-hooked her bra. "Well I wanted to try something new."

"I'm just saving you from splinters," Horatio said as he held out his hand for Ryan. Ryan grasped it and leapt from the tree. Horatio smiled at Ryan and winked.


	11. The Firelight

The Firelight

The team sat around the fire pit, roasting marshmallows and listening to Horatio strum on Jessica's guitar. Jessica sat on one of the log benches with a blanket wrapped around her body. She sat next to Jesse and smiled. "You cold?" she quietly asked him.

Jesse smiled at her. "Maybe a little."

Jessica lifted her blanket and Jesse wrapped it around himself. "Thanks," he said with a shy smile. Jessica curled up against him. "You're welcome."

Ryan watched Jessica and Jesse cuddled together under her blanket. Their heads were close together and they were whispering to each other. Jessica giggled and a blush formed on her cheeks. Ryan's blood suddenly started to boil. He wanted to punch Jesse and tell him to leave his girl alone. He felt himself shiver even though he was wearing jeans and a hoodie.

Ryan walked around the ring of benches and headed off on one of the trails. Jesse nudged Jessica and gestured towards him. "Where's Ryan going?"

"I don't know," Jessica answered concerned.

"You should follow him."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, he's either upset or trying to get lost."

Jessica looked at him for a moment and stood from the bench, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders. She started on the path that she had seen Ryan take.

Ryan was leaning against a tree staring at his feet. Jessica walked up to him. She placed her hands on his hips and kissed his cheek. "Something wrong, pumpkin?"

"Nothi-" Ryan started to say, "No, something is wrong."

"What is it?" Jessica asked concerned.

Ryan sighed and continued to stare at the ground. "I was getting jealous of the way you and Jesse were sitting together." he quietly said, "It was making me mad so I decided to go for a walk to cool down."

Jessica ran her hands up and down his hips. "I'm sorry, pumpkin," she said, "I didn't mean to make you jealous. Jesse and I were just talking."

"No, you don't have to be sorry." Ryan said, "I trust you and I know you love me. It was just…I don't even know. Something in me was just mad seeing you with him."

"Is it because you know Jesse secretly wants to bang me?" Jessica asked him.

Ryan chuckled and leaned down and kissed her. "Some how I knew you knew that. But yes, Walter and Eric said something about it in the car ride here and for some reason it just made all these old jealous feelings bubble up. I was just so mad."

Jessica smiled and kissed him. "Well I'm proud of you. You went to cool down instead of reacting. That's a big improvement."

Ryan returned the smile and kissed her back. "Thank you, that's a really great thing to hear."

"You feel better yet?"

"Eh, yeah, I think a little."

"Would a blow job make you feel really better?"

Ryan chuckled and smiled at her but didn't get the chance to answer. Jessica was kneeling in front of him. She pulled his pants open and pulled out his penis. Her mouth was warm and moist and Ryan tried to stifle a moan. He tangled his fingers in her soft hair and lightly thrusted into her mouth as he quickly grew hard.

"Oh Jessica," he moaned quietly, "Oh god that feels so good."

Jessica's head bobbed in time with Ryan's thrusts. She looked up at him and Ryan felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight of her deep blue eyes in the dim moonlight. He lolled his head back and moaned lightly as Jessica's tongue ran along his length.

Jessica tasted his pre-cum on her tongue just before Ryan grasped her ear. She stood and kissed him and Ryan moaned as he tasted himself on her tongue. Jessica slid behind him and started tugging at Ryan's leaking erection. He came with a quiet moan of her name. Jessica kissed the back of his neck as she stuffed his softening member back inside his pants.

"Feel better?" she whispered in his ear, her lips brushing against the shell of his ear.

"A little," he said as he turned and kissed her.

They walked back to the campsite holding hands and smiling. Horatio saw them return but didn't mention anything. He just continued to strum on the guitar.

Ryan led Jessica back to the bench where Jesse was sitting. Jesse looked at them and lifted the blanket. "You back, best friend?" he quietly asked.

Jessica smiled. "Nah, you can keep the blanket, Jesse."

"No, go ahead, love." Ryan said.

"No really I'm fine."

"Then I'll cuddle with Jesse." Ryan jumped over the log and crawled under the blanket with Jesse. "Hey buddy." Ryan said with a goofy smile as he cuddled his head against Jesse's shoulder.

"Well hey there hot stuff." Jesse jokingly played along, trying to mimic Jessica.

Jessica laughed and walked over and sat next to Horatio. "Crap, who would have thought I'd loose Ryan to another man."

"I saw it coming." Horatio jokingly said, "But you wouldn't listen." Jessica laughed and leaned her head against her father's shoulder.

Jesse and Ryan continued to playfully pretend to flirt with each other.  
>"Oh you're so cute Jesse!"<p>

"No, _you__'__re_ cute Ryan!"

"Give me a kiss!" Ryan said, pretending to pucker his lips.

An evil look flitted through Jesse's eyes. He leaned in and quickly pecked Ryan on the lips. Ryan jumped and almost fell off the log. Everyone laughed at Ryan's shock.

"Oh I'm sorry, did I move too fast for you, pumpkin?" Jesse playfully asked.

"No," Ryan scoffed, "I'm just mad I didn't get any tongue." He grabbed the back of Jesse's neck and smashed his lips against Jesse's. Jesse was shocked but played along. He jumped when Ryan shoved his tongue into his mouth. Everyone laughed as Ryan and Jesse continued to play tonsil hockey under the blanket. Ryan broke the kiss and gave Jesse an evil smirk.

"You hard yet buddy?" he whispered to him.

"Nope," Jesse responded.

"Good, me neither."

"It's not gay if we're not hard."

"Agreed."

Ryan was suddenly grabbed by the front of his sweatshirt. He caught a glimpse of the white Florida State Police Academy hoodie Jessica was wearing. "Come here Wolfe!" she growled.

"Oh shit, am I in trouble?" Ryan asked.

"Nope, I just got extremely horny!" Jessica responded as she opened her tent and shoved Ryan in. "God that was hot!"

Horatio watched as the tent zipped up and he could see Jessica and Ryan's shadows move around inside. He laughed and shook his head. The rest of the team was silent for a moment before they started laughing. "Well, now we know what gets Jessica's jets going." Eric laughed.

Jessica began ripping Ryan's clothes from his body, running her tongue over any exposed flesh she could find. Ryan squirmed under her touch on top of her sleeping bag and moaned lightly as he felt himself grow hard quickly. He attempted to pull Jessica's clothes off but she was pinning him down and pulled her clothes off herself.

"That was so hot!" Jessica growled, "You know just how to drive me crazy!"

Ryan quietly moaned as she bit at his neck and stroked him. "I think Jesse and I should make out more often if I get this result." He ran his hand over her vagina and slipped his fingers inside. "Damn you're wet."

"I'm horny!" Jessica growled as she bit at his ear. "I think I almost had an orgasm just watching you two. Damn it, where did I put those condoms?" she muttered as she dug through her duffle bag. She opened a side pocket and located a box of condoms. "Oh thank god!" she exclaimed as she rolled one down Ryan's length.

She quickly impaled herself on Ryan. Jessica's eyes rolled back and a satisfied groaned escaped her throat. She began thrusting her hips against Ryan's and moaned. Ryan smashed his lips against hers and switched positions with her. He thrusted in and out of her hard and they both began to pant.

Jessica wrapped her legs around Ryan's waist and pushed him up, sitting up on his lap. Ryan thrusted at the awkward angle and felt his climax escape him.  
>"Damn it," he muttered, "You did that on purpose."<br>"Yes I did." Jessica responded as she leaned back onto her hands. Ryan also leaned back onto his hands and moaned as their bodies worked together in their crab walk. Jessica gasped and moaned as her climax hit. Ryan moaned Jessica's name as his orgasm overtook him.

Jessica leaned back on top of Ryan and laid on his chest. "Oh damn, that was good." She muttered.

"You like doing that crab walk thing, don't you?" Ryan asked as he kissed her.

"Yeah, that's _really_ fun." Jessica started maneuvering herself off Ryan and he pulled out. "Come on, get dressed. I want some s'mores!"

Ryan chuckled as he stood and tossed the condom into the trash. He pulled Jessica into his arms and kissed her. "I love you," he said, "Even if I do have to make out with another guy in order to get laid."

Jessica giggled and kissed him back. "I love you, too. Told you guy on guy was hot."

They emerged from the tent and walked towards the fire. Everyone laughed and started clapping. Ryan felt his ears burn.

"Alright Wolfe!" Eric exclaimed, "That's my boy!"

"Shut up," Ryan muttered.

"Ah come on man!" Eric continued teasing, "You had that tent shaking!"

"Did we really?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah and I think the entire camp facility could hear you." Natalia sarcastically said.

"Sweet!" Jessica playfully exclaimed.


	12. Finding the End

Finding the End

Jessica awoke as someone screamed. Her arms were trapped against her body and she panicked as the memory from the nightmare was still fresh in her mind. A distorted voice and hands on her shoulders caused her to cry out her father's name.

"Jessica, its Natalia! Jessica, wake up!"

"Daddy!" Jessica screamed, "Daddy help!"

There was a crashing noise as Horatio stumbled through the door of the tent. He dropped beside Jessica's bedroll and wrapped his arms around her protectively, pulling her against his chest. He whispered into her ear and stroked her hair soothingly. Jessica's body slowly relaxed and tears streamed down her face. She looked at her father and buried her face into his shoulder as she continued to cry. "It's ok Bug," Horatio continued to whisper, "You're safe, I promise."

Natalia and Calleigh watched in astonishment as Jessica slowly emerged from the night terror in Horatio's arms.

"My god," Natalia muttered.  
>"So these are the night terrors that Ryan's told us about," Calleigh quietly said.<p>

Horatio nodded his head as he continued to hold Jessica protectively against his chest. "I think you lucked out, too."

"How?" Natalia asked.

"Normally Jessica swigs at whomever's closest to her in distance," Horatio explained, "It seems, Natalia, the sleeping bag bound Bug's arms down."

"And from the looks of the shiner Ryan came in with the one time Jessie Bug hits hard, too," Frank said as he walked into the tent. "I see why you ran like a bat out of hell now, Horatio."

"Did you hear her screaming?" Natalia asked.

"No," Horatio quietly said, "I just knew something was wrong with my little Bug."

"Daddy?" Jessica quietly whispered.

Horatio smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'm right here Bug, just like I always promised I would be."

* * *

><p>Jessica and Ryan held hands as they wandered through the forest together. Jessica stopped and took a few pictures of different birds and animals. They smiled brightly when Jessica took a picture of them together before they continued on their walk.<p>

Ryan recognized the path they were on. He pulled at her hand and began running. They stopped at the base of the large tree they had climbed the previous day. Jessica smiled as she followed Ryan into the tree. They sat on a large branch together as Ryan began kissing her with big, wet open mouthed kisses. His hands roamed across her body and Jessica giggled under his touch.

"Have you ever kissed someone in a tree?" Ryan whispered in her ear.

Jessica smirked and kissed him passionately. "As a matter of fact I have," she quietly responded.

"Yeah, who?" Ryan inquired.

"An ex-boyfriend from college," Jessica answered, "But you're ten times better."

"That's good," Ryan said cheekily as he kissed her again.

* * *

><p>Jessica moaned lightly as Ryan thrusted in and out of her from behind. She grasped the edge of the dock and tried to stabilize her body in the water.<br>"You just couldn't even wait for me to get out of the water," Jessica muttered, trying to lift her hips so Ryan hit her sweet spot.  
>"Sorry, couldn't help myself," Ryan said as he began toying with her clitoris. "You're the one who wore that damn bikini. Maybe you should have worn a granny swimsuit instead. Then I wouldn't have to take you hard in the water."<p>

"I don't believe you that this was a spur of the moment idea," Jessica said.

"Why not?" Ryan asked as he bit at the back of her neck.

"You had a condom in the pocket of your swim trunks, asshole."

"Damn, you caught me," Ryan chuckled.

"Just hurry up, I want to go kayaking."

"Geez, you want to do something recreational instead of banging me?" Ryan jokingly asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"I can bang you any day of the week," Jessica said, "The point of a vacation is to do something you don't normally do."

"We don't always have sex in the water," Ryan joked.

"Ryan, just finish already," Jessica said exasperated. Ryan slowed his thrusts down and Jessica could feel the disappointment flowing through his body. "Damn it," Jessica muttered to herself. "I'm sorry Ryan, I didn't mean for it to sound that way."

"Whatever," Ryan mumbled as he resumed his thrusting. Jessica felt him jolt inside her and he quickly pulled out.

Jessica turned and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face into his chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's fine," Ryan said.

"No it's not," Jessica said. "You're mad at me now."

"No I'm not," Ryan retorted.

"Yes you are!" Jessica snapped. She climbed from the water, adjusting her bikini bottom as she walked across the dock. Ryan sighed and pulled himself onto the dock. He watched as Jessica pulled a life vest on over her swimsuit and began checking her kayak. He walked towards her and she gave him a displeased look and resumed her kayak check.

"I'm sorry Jess," Ryan quietly said, "You're right, I'm being impractical. I'm ruining your camping trip that you took so much time to plan."

"You're not ruining it," Jessica mumbled, "You're just making it less fun because all you want to do is have sex with me. It's frustrating me because I was hoping we could spend some quality time together but all you want to do is screw around. I know you don't like nature and doing anything outdoors, but come on Ryan, just push your comfort zone a little! I'm tried of staying inside all the time because you hate being outside! I want to do something physical other than have you fuck me like some kind of blow up doll."

Pain struck through Ryan at the sound of her words. "You think all I ever want to do is have sex?"

"Well it kind of seems that way lately." Jessica snidely said, "Whenever I ask to do something as a couple it always ends up with us in bed. I don't mind having sex with you but I would just appreciate it if we could try something else for once. You know, go do something new."

"Well maybe I need a little help in the something new department," Ryan said, "I do have a bit of a condition that makes it hard to break from my daily routine you know."

Jessica looked at him and Ryan could see the sorrow that ran through her body. "Yeah I know alright, because you let it control your life." She climbed into her kayak and pushed off from the dock. She quickly paddled away, leaving Ryan standing alone.

Ryan slid his hand into his swim trunks and maneuvered the condom off his now flaccid member. He wandered over to a trashcan and discarded it along with the wrapper. He sat on the dock and watched as Jessica paddled away.

"Aw crap," a voice sounded behind him, "I know that look." Eric sat down next to Ryan and watched Jessica in the water. "You guys had another fight, didn't you?"

Ryan nodded his head and continued to stare out at Jessica. "They're becoming more frequent," he quietly said, "It scares me."

"Hey man, every couple has their quarrels," Eric said with a smile, trying to cheer Ryan up. "She'll come back to you."

"How can you be so sure?" Ryan whispered.

"Because you and Jessica are pretty much the perfect couple," Eric explained. "I've never seen a couple that works as well as you and Jess. It's like you guys know exactly what the other's thinking and you work together so amazingly. It makes me kind of jealous to be honest. I've never had a relationship like what you guys have."

"Well it feels like it's all coming to an end," Ryan quietly said.

Eric looked at him shocked. "You guys aren't thinking about breaking up are you?"

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I'm not sure I know what I want anymore." Ryan was quiet for a moment before he softly spoke again. "She wasn't wearing her ring this morning. She told me it was because she didn't want to loose it in the water when we went kayaking."

"Do you believe her?" Eric asked.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders again. "I feel like I should but I don't know anymore. I'm starting to think she was right to leave me all those weeks ago. Maybe we're not what we think we are."

Eric shoved Ryan hard into the water. Ryan gasped and struggled to keep his head above the water. "What the hell man?" Ryan exclaimed, "What the fuck was that for?"

"For being a thick headed ass!" Eric snapped as he pulled on the other life vest on the dock. "Someone tells you you've found the greatest girl in the world and you turn around and talk about leaving her! What are you, dumb? You shouldn't be thinking things like that. You should be going to Horatio to ask to marry her! You need to get your shit together and move in with her. You need to buy a ring, set a date, and start a family!" Eric climbed into the other kayak and pushed off from the dock. "I thought you were smarter than that, Ryan Wolfe."

Ryan treaded water as he watched Eric paddle away towards Jessica. He climbed from the water and sat back on the dock with his knees curled up to his chest. Silent tears ran down his cheeks. He buried his face into his knees and cried as pain ripped through his body. He didn't understand why he was mad or why he was crying.

* * *

><p>Jessica walked back into her tent as she parted ways with Eric. Calleigh smiled at her as she dug through her duffle bag. "Back already?" she asked.<p>

"Yeah," Jessica quietly said, "I didn't feel like kayaking much." She walked towards her stuff and stopped at the sight of the bouquet of wildflowers on top of her sleeping bag. She lifted them and sniffed in their beautiful perfume.

"Lover boy says sorry there isn't a card," Calleigh said with a sly smirk. "He said the flower shop around here doesn't have the greatest customer service."

A small smile spread across Jessica's face as she looked at the flowers. She gently placed them back on her sleeping bag and quickly toweled off and changed into dry clothes.

Jessica briskly walked through the campsite and found Ryan and Jesse working on building a fire. She walked up behind Ryan and wrapped her arms around his waist. Ryan smiled and placed his hands on top of Jessica's.

"I take it you like the flowers," Ryan quietly said.

"Yes but I'm sad I missed the chance to see the sexy delivery man who dropped them off," Jessica said against his back.

Ryan turned and looked into her ocean blue eyes. He gently kissed her and held her face in his hands. "I love you," he whispered.

Jessica smiled and hugged him tightly. "Good, because I love you, too."


	13. Coming back to You

**This was another one where I feel like it got kind of weird in the middle, but I think I brought it back full circle.**

* * *

><p>Coming back to you<p>

Ryan heard something rustle inside the tent. His heart hammered as he feared an animal had crawled in. A cool hand resting on his arm helped him relax.

"Ryan?" Jessica whispered, "Ryan, are you awake?"

"Yeah Jess," he muttered, "What's up?"

"I keep having nightmares," Jessica quietly explained, "And they're getting worse."

Ryan found her hand and gently squeezed it. "Come on," he said as he shifted to make room for Jessica in his sleeping bag. Jessica squeezed in with Ryan and cuddled close. Ryan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently. "Better?"

Jessica smiled against his neck. "Yes, much better."

They laid there for a few minutes together. Ryan stroked Jessica's back and felt her hand wander across his chest.

"Why didn't you go to Horatio?" Ryan quietly asked.

Jessica shrugged her shoulders. "Do you not want me here?"

"No, I want you here," Ryan said, tightening his grip on her. "I just thought you might want Horatio."

Jessica placed her hand flat against Ryan's chest, feeling his heart beat against her palm. "Frank farts in his sleep."

Ryan chuckled and held her close. "Yeah, Walter told me."

"Dude, do you guys just want us to leave so you can get it on?" Eric sleepily mumbled.

"Yeah really," Jesse muttered against his pillow.

"Shut up," Ryan retorted, rather annoyed. "We do more than just have sex you know."

"Like what?" Jesse asked as he buried his head under his pillow, trying to block out the noise.

"Fuck off," Ryan said as he closed his eyes. He gently kissed Jessica and stroked her hair. "I love you Jess."

"I love you too man but you need to shut up," Jesse said as he threw a can of bug spray at Ryan.

* * *

><p>Ryan woke up with Jessica still encased in his arms. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Good you're awake now," she said. She propped herself up on her arms and leaned over him. She kissed him passionately and smiled down at him. She rubbed her hips against his morning wood and Ryan smirked at her. "Well good morning to you, too," he said with a grin.<p>

"I bet we could make love inside this sleeping bag," Jessica said as she dug through Ryan's duffle bag. "But I think we should get out to prep ourselves though."

"Good idea," Ryan said as he unzipped the sleeping bag.

Jessica slid his pants off and gently grasped him. She ran her hand up and down his length gently and Ryan moaned quietly. "Cardoza and Delko are gone, right?" he asked as he lolled his head back and closed his eyes.

"No we're performing for them." Jessica sarcastically said, "Of course they're gone."

"Just checking," Ryan muttered as he kissed her. He rolled over and hovered over Jessica. He slid her pants down and leaned down to tease her with his tongue. After a few minutes Ryan lifted his head only to have it shoved back down between Jessica's legs. "Nope, you're not done yet buddy," she muttered to him.  
>"Somehow I knew I wasn't," Ryan mumbled.<p>

"Less talking more licking," Jessica ordered.

Ryan ran his tongue over every inch of Jessica's inner self and slid his tongue deep into her. Jessica moaned quietly and arched her back. Ryan continued his teasing until Jessica moaned his name quietly one last time.

Jessica laid there panting, trying to catch her breathe. She pulled Ryan up and kissed him heatedly. "Ok, now you're done. Next stage."

Ryan chuckled and dug through his duffle bag. He grabbed a condom from the box and rolled it on. He settled between Jessica's legs and she zipped the sleeping bag up around them. Ryan smirked and kissed her gently.

"You really want to try this, don't you?" he asked as he adjusted his position.

"Dad can afford a new one," Jessica muttered as she bit his neck.

Ryan gently slid into Jessica and groaned at the sensation of her surrounding him. "God you feel so good," he quietly muttered. His thrusts were slow and gentle. Ryan leaned his forehead against Jessica's and then captured her lips in a steamy kiss. Jessica groaned and arched her back, pressing her body against his. Ryan's hands roamed under the t-shirt she had slept in and she cried out when he pinched her nipples.

After several minutes Ryan came with a silent moan. He continued his thrusting, waiting for Jessica to signal her release.  
>"Are you done?" she hastily asked.<br>Ryan looked at her confused. "Yeah," he quietly responded.

"Great get out, get out!" Jessica demanded, pushing him away from her.

Ryan unzipped the sleeping bag and climbed out. Jessica leapt to her feet and pulled her panties back on quickly. She tore the tent open and ran through the campsite.

Horatio and Eric watched confused as Jessica bolted through the woods in just a t-shirt and underwear. They looked back and saw Ryan emerge from his tent in his t-shirt and boxers. He walked towards them, a baffled expression on his face.

"Ryan, what's going on?" Horatio asked.

"I don't know," Ryan responded, "Jessica just ran."

"Do you want me to go check on her?" Natalia asked as she walked up to the scene.

"Yeah, that would be great," Horatio said, "This isn't like her to just run like that." He looked at Ryan with a questionable expression. "Mid-coitus I take it?"

Ryan blushed and stared at his feet for a moment. "Well I was done but Jessica ordered me to, uh, get out. Um, I'm going to go put on pants."

When Ryan climbed from his tent Natalia was walking back towards the campsite. She ducked into her tent and returned a moment later with something in her hand. Ryan recognized it as the allergy cream Jessica had to use when she came in contact with bleach.

"Shit, where's Cardoza?" Ryan asked.

"I'm right here," Jesse responded, walking over to him, "What's up?"

"You have whitening toothpaste, don't you?" Ryan asked him.

"Yeah, why?" Jesse asked confused.

"Because it probably has bleach," Ryan responded, following Natalia up the hill.

Natalia walked into the women's bathroom first and then returned to let Ryan in. "We're clear," she said as she opened the door.

Ryan found Jessica sitting on a bench, legs and arms crossed and nervously bouncing her leg. She looked at Ryan and then diverted her eyes. He knelt beside her and looked up at her.

"Sorry Jess," he quietly said, "I forgot my toothpaste last night and I borrowed Cardoza's."

"It has bleach in it, doesn't it?" Jessica quietly asked as she accepted the tube of cream from Natalia. "God, I hate using this stuff in my vagina."

"You got hives again, didn't you?" Ryan asked.

Jessica nodded her head and continued to look at the cream. "Something started burning as soon as you started thrusting and I knew I was doomed."

"Wait," Natalia interjected, "If Ryan used toothpaste with bleach in it then how did it…" a look of realization washed over Natalia's face and a blush formed on her cheeks. "Oh, never mind."

Jessica chuckled lightly and stood from the bench. "Come on, big guy," she said, grabbing Ryan's hand, "You did this so you get to help."

Jessica pulled Ryan into a shower stall and shut the curtain behind them. She slid her panties off and sat on a bench with her legs spread apart.

"You know even though I'm hivey and disgusting you still want you shove your fingers in me," Jessica said with a mischievous smirk.

Ryan chuckled and knelt between her legs. "You know me too well," he said with a laugh.

Ryan squeezed the allergy cream into his hand. He worked some of it over his fingers and looked to see Jessica holding her labia open. He cringed at the sight of her red swollen flesh and saw the hives forming already. "I'm so sorry, Jess," he said as she spread the cream across her irritated skin, "I didn't even think about it."

"It's ok," Jessica said, "It was an accident." She squirmed slightly and an uncomfortable expression overtook her face.

"What's wrong, love?" Ryan asked.

"It's itchy," she whispered.

Ryan rubbed his fingers harder against her skin and Jessica sighed contently. "Better?" he asked.

"Not just there," Jessica said as her toes curled, "Inside too."

Ryan scooped up more of the cream and slid two of his fingers inside her. He swirled his fingers around and reached as far as he could, making sure she was evenly coated.

Jessica's left leg suddenly flinched and a gasp escaped her lips. Ryan smirked to himself and shoved his fingers in even further. He began shoving his fingers in and out of Jessica, while rubbing her clitoris. Jessica lolled her head back and grasped the edge of the bench tightly. Her breathing was heavy and Ryan felt his pants grow tighter as his fingers became more soaked in her pleasure. He squeezed more cream onto his fingers while still thrusting in and out of Jessica with his fingers. Jessica finally let out an arduous breathe and Ryan felt her muscles tighten around his fingers. A sudden jolt of his body and roll of his eyes told Jessica Ryan had just cum in his pants.

Ryan's hand slowed down as he gently massaged Jessica down from her high. He began pulling his jeans off, in hopes of avoiding making a wet spot on the denim material.

"Damn, how did you do that?" Ryan asked as he wiped the semen off his boxers and leg.

"It's your fault," Jessica said, "You got me good." She reached between her legs and scratched at herself. "Sorry, still itchy."

"You better stop that," Ryan playfully said.

"Stop what?" Jessica asked, continuing to scratch.

"It looks too much like you're masturbating, and you know it drives me crazy to watch you do that."

"Then turn around buddy," Jessica snapped, "Because I'm not giving you a show. I'm actually in a lot of pain right now."

Ryan blushed and walked out of the shower stall. He walked over to the sink and washed his hands and cleaned off his leg. He walked back in and angrily grabbed his jeans, tugging them on before he walked out of the bathroom.

Natalia watched Ryan walk away alone. He looked angry and she wondered why. Natalia slipped into the bathroom and found Jessica washing her hands at the sink. She had an annoyed expression on her face as she vigorously scrubbed her hands.

"You ok Jess?" Natalia gently asked.

"No, Ryan's mad at me," Jessica said as she roughly ripped a paper towel from the dispenser.

"Why's he mad?"

"Hell if I know." Jessica tossed the paper towel in the trash and crossed her arms across her chest. Natalia saw tears form in her eyes as her bottom lips quivered. She gently wrapped her arms around Jessica and held her close as she cried. "I don't know what I did wrong," Jessica whispered.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Natalia said, "You're just in pain and sick right now. Ryan's probably just mad at himself for hurting you. Give him some time to beat himself up and then he'll come crawling back, begging you to kiss it and make it better."

"Well he better not use Cardoza's toothpaste again," Jessica muttered, "I've got hives in my mouth, too."

Natalia chuckled and hugged her tightly. "Everything will be ok, you'll see."

* * *

><p>Horatio watched as Jessica and Ryan avoided each other all day. She refused to sit on the same bench as him, wouldn't help him collect fire wood, and hauled water by herself. Finally when Horatio couldn't take it anymore he grabbed Jessica's hand and led her away from the campsite. They walked into the stable and sat on top of the pile of hay bails.<p>

"Ok Bug," Horatio finally said, "Talk."

Jessica looked at him and then diverted her eyes. "Ryan's mad at me."

"What about?" Horatio inquired.

"I got snippy with him when we were in the shower house."

"Natalia said it sounded like you were fine when you guys were alone. What happened?"

"I just…I don't know. He tried to get feisty and I told him he was out of luck because I was in a lot of pain. Then he left without saying anything to me and hasn't talked to me since."

Horatio sighed and held her hands in his own. He turned them over and looked at them from every angle. They reminded him of her mother's but larger. The silver and pink ring sparkled in the natural light and Horatio smiled at the sight of it. "Are you sure he's mad at you?" he asked.

"Well I don't know who else he would be mad at." Jessica muttered, "It was just us in the shower house."

"Jessica I've known Ryan Wolfe for a very long time now and if there's one thing about him I've learned it's that he's a mastics. He beats himself up over the littlest things because he can't seem to get over the fact that he made a mistake." Horatio explained, "Like always I think you guys just need some time and everything will be fine."

"What do you mean like always?" Jessica asked a little perturbed.

"I mean you have these petty fights but you always work everything out," Horatio said, then adding, "And then probably end up in bed together." He smirked at Jessica and she couldn't help but chuckle. "You know us too well Dad," Jessica said with a laugh.

Horatio leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I do because you're my little Jessie Bug and I love you and your weird boyfriend."

"You love Ryan?" Jessica asked skeptically.

"He loves you so I have to learn to love him," Horatio explained, "Otherwise I'll end up as one of those dads who can't stand the fact that his daughter married a loser."

"Ryan's not a loser, Dad," Jessica snipped.

"I didn't say he was." Horatio pulled her against his chest and laid down in the hay. Jessica sighed and curled up against him. "You're tired, aren't you?"

Jessica nodded her head against his shoulder. "I'm having nightmares again."

"What are they about?" Horatio quietly asked, fearing her answer.

"James," Jessica whispered.

"What's happening?"

"He's chasing me," Jessica said, "He chases me and then he catches me and beats me."

"Is Ryan there?"

"Sometimes but when he is he's already dead."

Horatio kissed Jessica's forehead and held her close. "He's gone, Bug, and he's never coming back."

"Tell my dreams that."

* * *

><p>Jessica was sitting with Eric on the bench around the fire. They whispered back and forth, talking about whatever came to mind. She leaned her head against his shoulder and Eric smiled as he nuzzled his head against hers.<p>

"Ryan's one lucky guy," Eric whispered to her, "He's got an amazing, beautiful, intelligent girl like you."

Jessica smiled weakly and leaned further into him. "Thanks Eric," she whispered.

A hand on her shoulder made Jessica turn. Ryan stood behind her, a pained expression on his face. "Can I talk to you?" he quietly asked. Jessica nodded her head and followed him to the boys' tent.

Ryan looked at her and gently placed his hands on either side of her face. He leaned his forehead against hers and Jessica could feel tiny specks of water spatter against her face as he blinked away tears.

"I'm sorry," Ryan quietly said, "I'm sorry I was so mean to you in the shower house. You're sick right now and you don't need me pushing you around. You need to get better. I'm so sorry Jess."

Jessica ran her hands across his abdomen and up to his chest. "It's ok Ryan," she whispered, "It was an accident. I just get irritable when I have an allergic reaction. I'm sorry I was snippy."

Ryan gently kissed her and grazed his nose down the bridge of her nose. "I love you," he whispered to her. "I love you, too," Jessica quietly responded.

Neither knew how it exactly happened but before they knew it they were naked and wrapped up in each other inside Ryan's sleeping bag. Ryan slowly and tenderly thrusted into her and Jessica gasped softly as he hit her sweet spot every time, sending a wave of pleasure through her body.

Ryan leaned in and whispered into her ear, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. "Promise me, Jessica," he said, "Promise me no other man will ever touch you like this. Promise me you'll always be mine."

Jessica moaned quietly and arched her back, pressing her body against his. "I swear, Ryan, I'll never love anyone like I love you." She said, "I love you more than anyone in this world and nothing could ever make me hate you."

Ryan captured her lips in a passionate kiss. He buried his face into her neck and Jessica felt tears form against her skin. "Sometimes it just feels too good to be real," Ryan whispered. "You're too perfect, too beautiful, too smart for me. It's not you, it's me. I'm scared someday you'll leave me just like all the others did."

Jessica curled her legs up against his hips. She bit at his neck roughly and sucked on the spot, laving her tongue over the spot where she knew a bruise would soon form. "Ryan I couldn't leave you even if I wanted to." she said, "I tried that once and it only made me love you more. Ryan Wolfe, I'm here as long as you're here."

Ryan groaned quietly as he felt Jessica shudder against him. He released his essence into her and felt her heart pound against his chest. He looked deep into her eyes and stroked her hair.

"I'm not ovulating, if that's what you're wondering," Jessica quietly said.

"I don't care," Ryan said, resting his hand on her lower abdomen, "I want to have a baby with you, Jessica. I want our DNA to merge and create the perfect little child that we should have had. I want another part of you to love."

Jessica kissed him and nuzzled her face into his neck. "We can't right now, Ryan," she whispered, "If we could I would."

Ryan pressed his body as close to Jessica's as he could. "I wish we could but I understand why, Jessie," he whispered.

Jessica tightened her kegel muscles and Ryan felt himself grow hard again. He began slowly thrusting again and held her close to his chest. "I love you," Jessica whispered. Ryan kissed her and felt their tears mix together as their cheeks brushed against each other. "I love you, too, Jessica," he whispered.


	14. Haunting Pasts

Haunting Pasts

Jessica laid on the log bench on her stomach, her head resting on top of her crossed arms and her legs straddling either side. Horatio chuckled at his daughter and prodded at her with a stick.

"Lay off, old man," she muttered, not bothering to open her eyes, "I'm sore."

"Could it be all the time you spent with Ryan in that tent last night?" Horatio jokingly asked as he sat next to her head.

"Yes and the fact that I'm having a major allergic reaction right now."

"Well maybe if you didn't let him stuff himself inside you while you're covered in hives you wouldn't hurt so much."

"Like I said, lay off, I'm sore."

"Maybe you should lay off the horizontal tango for a while," Horatio suggested, playing with her ponytail.

"We are, no more sex for the rest of the week…or until I heal."

"Yeah right," Eric said as he walked up, "That won't last."

"I give you guys a day," Jesse said as he sat next to Eric.

"I give them twelve hours," Eric responded.

"Want to bet on that?" Jesse asked.

Eric smirked at him. "How much you willing to drop?"

Jesse thought it over. "Twenty bucks," he answered.

"Twenty? Come on man this is Miami, not LA, we play for big bucks here!"

"Fine, a hundred!" Jesse retorted, holding out his hand.

Eric chuckled and grasped his hand firmly. "You're on!"

"Gee, thanks guys," Jessica said, clearly angered as she stood from the log, "That makes me feel great about myself." She stormed off and into the girls' tent. A few minutes later a concerned Calleigh emerged from the tent.

"Well I hope you two are proud of yourselves," she hissed at Eric and Jesse, "Because of what you said Jessica's in there crying her eyes out." She stalked past and into the boys' tent. A few moments later Calleigh and a very sleepy looking Ryan stumbled out and across the campsite and back into the girls' tent.

Eric sighed and shook his head. "We need to learn not to talk."

"You said it," Jesse agreed.

* * *

><p>Thunder's hooves pounded against the ground as Jessica sped through the field. The wind whipped through her hair and her eyes watered behind her sunglasses. She leaned forward in her saddle, pressing her chest against Thunder's neck. She reached the edge of the field and slowed Thunder to a gentle trot. They walked around the field, Thunder cooling down from the race. Jessica smiled and scratched his neck. "Good job, Thunder," she said to him.<p>

Horatio trotted up next to Jessica and walked along side her on Miguel. "You win this time, Bug," he smiled.

"Took me long enough to finally win one," Jessica said.

They walked to the stable and put their horses back into the paddock. They hauled their saddles back into the stable. Horatio stretched his arms above his head and then massaged his neck.

"You ok, Dad?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Horatio said.

"You look tired, Dad," Jessica commented, "Is something bothering you?"

Horatio sighed and slipped his hand into hers and led her to the hay stack. They climbed to the top and sat together. "I am tired, Bug," Horatio said, "You're not the only one whose past haunts them in their sleep. I don't wake up screaming like you do but the pain's the same. I see faces of my ghosts and relive my worst days. Sometimes I fear sleeping because I know what's coming."

Jessica wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. "I'm sorry, Dad," she whispered, "What are the dreams about?"

Horatio pulled her close against his chest, lying down in the hay. He kissed her forehead and Jessica felt tears falling into her hair. "They're about my old life," Horatio whispered, "The life that I gave up for the one I have now."

Jessica was silent for a long time. When she spoke again her voice was small and timid. "Is there anything in particular? Something that keeps coming back?"

Horatio tightened his grip on her and the tears fell faster. "Izzy," he whispered almost inaudibly.

_III_

Horatio awoke when the door to his bedroom clicked open. Someone stumbled in and dropped to the floor next to his bed.

"Dad," Izzy's weak voice sounded, "Daddy, I need help."

Horatio shot up and turned on the light. Suzanna groaned and buried her face under her pillow. "Damn it, Horatio," she muttered, "Turn off that damn light."

Horatio looked at Izzy. Blood was running down her legs, soaking into her pajama pants. Horatio lifted her and carried her into the bathroom. He began pulling her pants off as Izzy continued to sob. He looked at her body but couldn't figure out where the blood was coming from. Her panties were soaked with blood and Horatio looked up into her eyes.  
>"Izzy," he whispered, "Where are you bleeding from?"<p>

Izzy cried harder and her entire body shook with her sobs. She reached into the pocket of her pajama pants and pulled out an orange pill bottle. Her hand shook as she held it out for Horatio. He read the label and he looked at her.

"Izzy, did you take an abortion pill?" he quietly asked.

Izzy nodded as the tears streamed down her face. "I didn't want it!" she cried out, "I didn't want it in me!"

Horatio stood and wrapped his arms around her small body. "We need to take you to the hospital," he said as he released her from his arms.

"No!" Izzy exclaimed, "No more hospitals! I don't want to go back!"

"Elizabeth Johnson, you need a doctor," Horatio said, terror beginning to fill his veins. "This is the wrong dosage. You're going to bleed out if we don't get you to the hospital right now."

"No! I'm not going!" Izzy cried out, breaking away from Horatio, "I won't go!"

"Elizabeth Johnson!" Horatio snapped, "You are going to the hospital!"

"My name isn't Elizabeth Johnson!" Izzy screamed as she stumbled down the stairs, smearing blood across the hardwood floors. "My name is Elizabeth Caine!"

"Which means you're my daughter so you're going to listen to me!" Horatio said, grabbing her arm.

"Stop it!" Izzy screamed, "You're hurting me, you bastard!"

Horatio tightened his grip and felt anger burn through his body. "I'm sorry Izzy," he whispered. He grabbed her shoulder and squeezed the base of her neck on her left shoulder. Izzy's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed in Horatio's arms. Horatio sank to the ground and sat on the floor, cradling Izzy's body in his arms. He cried and stared at his unconscious daughter.

"I'm sorry, Jessica," he whispered, "I didn't want to do it but she wouldn't listen."

_III_

"I remember that night," Jessica whispered, "It hurt so much."

Horatio's eyes watered over again and he buried his face into Jessica's hair. "I was so scared Izzy was going to die and it was all because of that bastard again."

"I never told you I was pregnant until that night, did I?" Jessica quietly asked.

"No, I never knew. I don't know how you got the pills either."

"Women's clinics give them out like candy," Jessica whispered. "I was just so desperate to get rid of the baby because it meant there would be another part of James in the world."

Horatio held her tight against his chest. "I love you, Bug," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Daddy H," Jessica quietly said.

"How about nap time?" Horatio asked her with a hopeful smile. "I think we could both use it."

"Yeah, definitely," Jessica quietly muttered.

* * *

><p>Jessica and Ryan cheerfully walked back to the campsite together after their shower, holding hands and smiling.<br>"I thought you were supposed to feel cleaner when you get out of the shower," Ryan playfully said as they walked into the girls' tent.

"What, we didn't do anything naughty," Jessica said as she leaned up to kiss him.

"No but I've got one hell of a boner right now and no solution to this problem."

"Oh I think I can fix it," Jessica said, cupping him in her hand.

Horatio wandered through the campsite, still picking bits of hay from his hair. "Eric do you have my cell phone?" Horatio asked, "I can't find it."

"Nope, haven't seen it lately, H," Eric said.

"I think Jessica has it," Calleigh said, "She found it by the fire pit and said she would find you after she showered."

"Where is she now?" Horatio inquired.

"I think she just walked into our tent," Calleigh said.

"Thanks Calleigh," Horatio said as he walked towards the girls' tent.

"Jess?" Horatio said outside the tent, "Jess, are you in there?" He unzipped the tent and slipped inside. The door to the other room was zipped shut and he could hear someone talking. He unzipped the tent door and was stunned at the sight that met him.

Ryan was lying on his back on top of Jessica's sleeping bag, eyes closed, knees bent, feet flat on the ground, completely naked. Jessica was naked and her head buried between his legs. Ryan was softly moaning and whispering to her.

"Oh god, Jess," Ryan quietly said, "That feels so good."

Ryan heard the rustling of the tent and his eyes snapped open and he looked towards the door. "Oh god, Horatio!" Ryan jumped and his hips shot forward. Jessica's head fell back and she began coughing and choking. She grabbed the trash can as she spit bile and semen ran from her nose. "Oh shit, Jessica!" Ryan exclaimed. He wrapped a blanket around her and held her against his chest and pulled her hair from her face.

Horatio stumbled backwards out of the tent and staggered into the campsite. Calleigh looked at his bewildered face and couldn't help but laugh.

"Did you see a ghost?" Calleigh playfully asked.

Horatio shook his head and sat on one of the benches. "Something a little more disturbing," he quietly said.

"What was that?" Calleigh inquired.

Horatio looked over his shoulder and watched as Jessica and Ryan emerged from the girls' tent and headed towards the shower house. Calleigh laughed and sat next to Horatio. "Well I guess that answers that question." She smirked, "I thought they said they were going to lay off for a while?"  
>"Well I guess oral doesn't count in their minds," Horatio muttered.<p>

Calleigh laughed again and nudged Horatio. "I bet Ryan's face was red, or could you not see it between Jessica's legs."

"No, I could see Ryan's face just fine," Horatio muttered, "It was Jessica's I couldn't see."

Calleigh's mouth fell open in shock. She laughed again, clutching her sides. "Oh my god, they must be mortified!"

"Not as much as me," Horatio quietly said, "I think I made the party end too soon."

"Yeah you did," Jessica said, sitting on the bench next to Horatio with Ryan, "Ryan took off like a rocket."

"Are you ok, Bug?" Horatio inquired, "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I just got a like choked up, that's all," Jessica said. Horatio could see the slight blush forming on her cheeks.

Horatio smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Sorry Bug, I didn't mean to ruin your fun."

"It's ok, Dad," Jessica quietly said.

"But I could have swore you guys told us a different story this morning," Calleigh said with a mischievous grin.

"Well we decided to conserve water in the shower house and well," Jessica said with a mischievous grin of her own, "Things kind of went downhill from there."

"Oh something went down alright," Calleigh laughed as she walked away. Ryan stuck out his foot and Calleigh tripped over his ankle. "Ass," she muttered as she walked away.


	15. Do you dare?

Do you dare?

The girls giggled like a group of school girls as they played a dirty game of truth or dare late at night in their tent.

"Ok Jessica," Calleigh said, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Jessica answered.

"Alright, tell us an embarrassing fact about Ryan."

Jessica giggled and thought the request over. "Ok, here's a fun story- Ryan, Eric, and Jesse were getting ready to shower after a nasty scene and they both caught site of his manikki wax job. They gave him so much hell about me having him whipped and Ryan argued that he did it _for_ me, not because I told him to do it. They still picked on him all day until Ryan finally said 'Hey a few minutes of pain is worth the hours of amazing head I get because of it.'"

Natalia and Calleigh burst out laughing. "Wait, Ryan really gets a manikki wax?" Natalia asked as her eyes watered over.

"Yes, he's very prim and proper about his pubic region," Jessica smirked, "But I'll give him this- it does work and it's much nicer than getting a mouthful of fur."

"Oh god, I almost regret asking that," Calleigh said. "Ok Natalia, your turn. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Natalia quickly responded.

"Ok, how do you think Eric is in the sack?" Calleigh asked with a sly smile.

Natalia snorted and covered her mouth. "Oh my god, you're not really asking me about my sexually experience with Eric!"

"Wait, you had sex with Eric?" Jessica asked surprised.

Natalia blushed and covered her face. "Yes, we dated for a while."

"Was this before or after you dated my boyfriend?" Jessica asked.

"Before," Natalia said with a roll of her eyes, "Eric wasn't the best guy about breaking up either. He may have told Ryan I was 'clear for landing.' I mean really, who says that?"

"Come on Natalia," Calleigh said, "What do you think of Eric?"

Natalia giggled and shook her head. "Ok I will admit, Eric was really good, but he had some weird habits."

"Oh god did he try to make you suck on his toes?" Calleigh asked.

"Yes!" Natalia exclaimed in a disgusted voice, "I told him I would suck his dick but I would never suck his toes!"

"He tried to make me do that, too!" Calleigh exclaimed, "It was his one weird habit that he had."

"That and his habit of trying to bite my labia!" Natalia said, "Oh my god, one day he was going down and he just kind of bit me. I told him 'It may be called muff munching but that doesn't mean you have to use your teeth, buddy!' God, that was the day I thought I was pregnant."

"Wait, you thought you were pregnant with Eric's baby?" Jessica inquired.

"Yes, I had been throwing up every morning for like a week and I thought I was pregnant but it turns out it was just the flu." Natalia recalled, "God, I was so scared but when I told him he asked what were we going to do and well I just felt so relieved that he wasn't going to abandon me with his child."

Jessica smiled at the story. "Eric's a sweet guy," she quietly said. She refrained from making any other comments, afraid she would say something about Natalia being a hypocrite when Jessica thought she was pregnant.

"Ok Jessica," Natalia said, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Jessica answered, snapping back to reality.

"Alright, tell us, how big is 'hung like a freaking horse' exactly?" Natalia asked with a smirk.

Jessica rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Why would you want to know that?"

"Yeah Natalia," Calleigh chimed in, "You just wondering what kind of deal you lucked out on?"

"No, I just thought I would continue with our dirty theme we had going here," Natalia said.

"Fine, you want to know how big Ryan's penis is," Jessica said, "Alright, this big." Jessica held her hands up at about the length she remembered Ryan's erect member being.

Natalia and Calleigh stared at her hands and laughed. "Shit you weren't kidding!" Natalia exclaimed, "No wonder you limp sometimes."

"Oh shut up you!" Jessica said as she playfully nudged Natalia.

"Calleigh," Jessica said, "Truth or dare?"

Calleigh smirked. "Dare," she finally said.

"Ok, I dare you to go flash the next car that drives by," Jessica said.

Calleigh flushed. "I can't do that, that's indecent exposure."

"Ok fine," Jessica said with a roll of her eyes, "Then just go use the men's shower house to pee."

"Fine, I can do that," Calleigh said.

Jessica and Natalia followed her and watched Calleigh walk into the men's bathroom just after a man they didn't know also did. They snickered and watched as the guy sped out of the bathroom and ran towards the women's. He stopped and looked at the sign and turned back just in time to watch Calleigh walk out, waving at him with a flirtatious smile.

"Did you get his number?" Jessica asked.

"No, but I got a glimpse of what he's packing," Calleigh chuckled.

They climbed back into their tent and settled back in their circle.  
>"Alright Jess," Calleigh said, "Truth or dare?"<p>

Jessica thought it over and gave them a mischievous look. "Dare," she responded.

"Ok, I dare you to…" Calleigh's eyes lit up as an idea hit her. "I dare you to go steal a pair of underwear from the boy's tent."

"Oh come on, Calleigh!" Natalia exclaimed, "That's way too frickin easy. She'll just steal Ryan's!"

Jessica looked at them both and smirked. She stood and pulled the tent open and ducked outside. They heard Jessica's feet rustle across the forest brush. There was more rustling and voices screaming. Jessica suddenly dove back into the tent and zipped the door shut quickly. "There you go girls," Jessica said as she tossed a pair of men's underwear to Calleigh and Natalia each. Their mouths dropped open as they looked at the boxer briefs in their hands.

"Oh…my…god," Natalia said, her eyes wide with shock.

"Jess," Calleigh hesitantly said, "These are warm."

"Well I would imagine they would be," Jessica said with a sly look, "Seeing as I just pulled them right off their hot little bodies."

Calleigh and Natalia's jaws dropped. "Whose are these?" Natalia asked.

"Well you've got Jesse's and Calleigh has Eric's."

"And let me guess, you've got lover boy's," Calleigh said slyly.

Jessica held the boxer's up using her right index finger. They were black with small white skull and cross bones. "You got it." Jessica smirked, "I bought these ones for him."

"Oh really?" Calleigh sarcastically said, "I would have never guessed."

"So only these three?" Natalia jokingly asked, "That doesn't seem very Jessica like."

Jessica scoffed. "Excuse me, but did you really think I was going to steal Walter and Frank's underwear?"

"What, no fear of Horatio?" Natalia teased.

"Of course not, I've seen my father naked before." Jessica said, "I have no interest in seeing Frank and Walter naked though."

"Wait," Calleigh said, "What was that?" The small group sat there quietly and listened.

"They're coming." Jessica said, "They're trying to sneak over and get their revenge." Jessica sat there for a moment. "They're about twenty feet that way." Jessica pointed to her right. "We only have about thirty seconds before they get here. We have to act fast."

"What are we going to do?" Natalia asked.

"You're girls," Jessica simply said.

"Annnnd…" Natalia prompted.

"You brought perfume, didn't you?"

Calleigh and Natalia looked at each other hesitantly. "Yeah," they both replied quietly.

"Well get it out!" Jessica said as she dug through her bag and pulled out her own bottle. "The smell will attract mosquitoes. We spray them and they're in for a rough night," Jessica said with a mischievous smile.

Natalia laughed as she pulled out her bottle. "I like the way you think, girly!"

They hunched together by the door of the tent and waited. They could hear male voices just outside.

"Oh she's so going to regret this!" Eric said as he placed something on the ground.

"What makes you think it was Jessica acting alone?" Ryan asked, straining under the weight of whatever he was carrying.

"Oh please, lover boy," Jesse said, "You know it was her."  
>"I'm not saying it wasn't Jessica that did it. I'm saying someone had to put the thought in her head." Ryan explained, "Jess doesn't normally think of something quite like that on her own."<p>

"Whatever," Eric said, "Just get your buckets ready. On three- one…"

Jessica tore the tent door open and the girls shot at them with their perfume. The boys screamed and retreated, leaving their buckets of water to spill across the ground. They laughed and watched as the boys ran back to their tent, already fighting off the mosquitoes. They rolled with laughter as they zipped the tent shut again.

"Oh my god that was priceless!" Natalia exclaimed, "Did you see their faces!"

"I thought Cardoza was going to piss his pants!" Calleigh laughed.

"Hey, less laughing and more hiding!" Jessica said, "Put those bottles away or we're going to be in for a miserable tonight, too." She pulled out a can of bug spray and slipped outside to spray down the outside of the tent. She retreated back in and sprayed a few shots inside.

"That was amazing!" Natalia said as she sprayed herself. "How did you think of that?"

"When I was little there was a girl in my tent at camp who brought a bottle of her mom's perfume. She was planning on seducing one of the male counselors that she had developed a crush on from the year before. Unfortunately she didn't know the sweet smell of the perfume attracted bugs. She didn't even make it three feet from the tent before she was swarmed. Then she brought them into our tent and I kicked her out until she showered. Mainly because she smelled terrible…the bugs were the second reason."


	16. Compromising

Compromising

Ryan's arms hurt as he paddled along in his kayak, trying to keep up with Jessica. "Jess, slow down, I'm old," Ryan whined.

"You're not old dumb head," Jessica called over her shoulder, "You're only four years older than me right now, remember?"

"Well excuse me for not being super human like you," Ryan playfully retorted. He caught up to her and whacked the side of her kayak with his paddle. Jessica giggled and leaned over towards him. Ryan met her in the middle and kissed her lightly.

"Come on!" Jessica exclaimed as she paddled off, "We're almost there!"

"Where are we going?" Ryan asked as he followed her.

"Eric and I found an island the other day and I want to show it to you."

"More nature? Aw man!"

"Oh shut your face, you know you're having a good time!"

They paddled across the lake for a while before the island came into view. Jessica pulled up along the shore. She pulled her shoes on and climbed from her kayak, pulling it onto the shore before she started pulling Ryan's up to land.

"Well now I see why you told me to bring my shoes," Ryan said as he pulled his shoes on.

"Safety first!" Jessica playfully exclaimed as she started up the hill.

They walked together and looked around the small island. "This is so cool!" Jessica exclaimed as she examined an orchid. "These are a really rare breed, they're only found in certain places with just the right conditions."

"They're pretty," Ryan said as he held the orange flower delicately in his hand.

They continued to explore the island. Ryan stopped and inhaled through his nose deeply. "Jess, do you smell that?"

Jessica sniffed and wrinkled her nose. "Yeah and I've got a bad feeling. There's only one thing that smells like that."

"De-comp," Ryan said as he took off towards the source of the smell. They stopped when they came to the other side of the island. A canoe rested on the island's shore with a practically decomposed body lying inside it. Ryan sighed and looked at the body. "You want to call it in or do you want me to?"

Jessica pulled her phone from the pocket of her waterproof kayak bag. "I'll call Dad and tell him what we found," she said, "You can call 911."

"Awesome," Ryan said, "Looks like our vacation's over."

* * *

><p>Horatio climbed from the Florida State Police Boat with the detective and medical examiner. He found Jessica and Ryan talking to an officer<p>

"Hey Bug," Horatio said as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Jessica said in her normal tone, "A little disappointed that I have to do work, but oh well."

"Ma'am, are you sure you're ok?" the officer inquired.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Jessica said waving him off.

"Ma'am finding a dead body can be quite traumatic."

"Yeah if you're a civilian," Jessica said.

"Excuse me?" the officer said.

"We're with Miami Dade," Horatio explained, "All three of us, crime scene investigators."

"Oh, I see," the officer said.

"Can we see the body?" Jessica inquired, "Maybe we can help."

The officer looked at her and looked at the detective. "Hey Marge!" he called to her, "Got a couple of CSIs from Miami Dade that said they might be able to help. You want to let them look?"

"Sure why not?" the detective said as she walked over to them. "Not like we've got anything we can do right, our forensic guys aren't going to get here anytime soon." She stopped before Ryan, Jessica, and Horatio and extended her hand. "Detective Marge Burnham," she said, "Florida State Police."

"Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Miami Dade Police," Horatio said, "This is CSI Ryan Wolfe and CSI Dr. Jessica Caine."

Marge chuckled and smiled at them. "A father-daughter crime fighting team," she said, "Now there's something I've never seen before. Beautiful eyes, by the way." She said with a smile.

"Thanks, can we see the body now?" Jessica inquired.

"Of course," Marge said, leading them towards the canoe.

A medical examiner was leaning over the canoe, recording data. "Excuse me, Dr. Burns," Marge said, "I've got a couple of CSIs who would be willing to help you out here."

The middle aged man looked up at her and then at Ryan and Horatio. "Seriously? You expect me to allow the witnesses who found the body to look at _my_ crime scene?"

"No I don't expect you too, I'm telling you you're going to." Marge said in a stern voice, "And I'm getting sick of your holier than thou attitude. Get the hell over yourself and get to work."

The doctor looked up at her and then at Ryan and Horatio. "I thought you said one of the witnesses was female."

Marge looked at Ryan and Horatio. "Where's Dr. Caine?" she asked.

"I'm over here," Jessica said from where she stood next to the canoe across from Dr. Burns. He jumped when he saw her and fell into the water. "Careful Doc," Jessica said, "You don't want to compromise _your_ crime scene."

Dr. Burns climbed from the water, grumbling to himself about young hooligans. "Hey, I'm no hooligan," Jessica said, "You're just pissed because I scared you."

"This is why I hate working with kids," Dr. Burns said as he tried to brush mud from his body.

"What can you us about him, Doc?" Marge asked.

"Fifty year old male, massive head trauma." The doctor rattled off, "I'm guessing someone bashed his head in with something hard."

"I disagree," Jessica said.

Dr. Burns looked at her with an annoyed expression on his face. "Excuse me?"

"The only footprints leading to the canoe are from the victim, based off the de-comp stage he's been here for about a week, and it hasn't rained in about ten days. If there was someone else out here we'd see it." Jessica explained, "I think he was alone."

"If he was alone then how did he get this head wound?" Dr. Burns asked.

"He slipped," Jessica said, "His canoe probably got water in it and he pulled off here in an attempt to bail out and he slipped and fell. See how much water is in his canoe? Normal evaporation for his location on this island with all the shade I'm going to guess evaporation's going to be really slow, but again he's been here for about a week. See the shape of his wound? It's the same shape as the edge of the seat in his canoe. I think he slipped, fell, and hit his head on the seat and bashed his head in. It was an accident, end of story, andlet's go home."

"I don't think so," Dr. Burns said, "I think your theory is all wrong."

"Well I disagree," Marge said, "I think Dr. Caine's theory is a very solid one. In fact I would take hers over whatever you're going to throw out."

Jessica smirked at Dr. Burns. "I win," she said.

* * *

><p>"Go figure," Eric said as Ryan, Horatio, and Jessica walked back to the campsite, "Only you guys would find a dead body on vacation."<p>

Jessica shrugged. "Yeah, oh well, what can you do?"

"Not accept that job offer," Ryan muttered.

Jessica looked at him a little surprised. "I wasn't planning on it, Ryan," she said.

"You got a job offer with the State Police?" Eric inquired.

"Yeah Detective Burnham was so impressed with her she offered Jessica a job working for her right there in the crime scene," Horatio said, "But you would never take it, would you, Bug?"

"Of course not!" Jessica exclaimed, "I learned that lesson once already." She smiled at Ryan as she slipped her hand into his. "And I'm never doing it again."

Ryan smiled at her and kissed her temple. "Good, because I don't want to leave Miami," he whispered.


	17. Home with You

**This was another story that I wrote out of order. I wrote the first half of this chapter before most of the rest, which is why I feel like the action didn't really play out quite right, since Jessica was like "no more sex," but I modified it so I think it works.  
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**Sorry, this story was a little shorter than many of my others in this serious. But I will have the next one up soon. I can hardly believe I've already finish seven stories in this series, not to mention three in another and a few stand alones. o.O**

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><p>Home with You<p>

Jessica and Ryan sat together on the ground by the fire alone that night. They pulled the blanket tighter around their bodies and cuddled together.

"I'm really glad you and Horatio planned this trip," Ryan said to her.

Jessica kissed his neck and grazed her nose along his jaw line. "Well I'm glad you're having a good time."

"I know something that would make it even better," Ryan said. He slipped his hand into Jessica's and brought it over to his groin. He palmed himself using her hand and bit his bottom lip with a sly expression on his face as he grew erect.

Jessica chuckled and squeezed him hard. "You want to go at it out here?"

"Yeah," Ryan said with a smirk, "It would be the perfect combination of romantic and erotic. That is, if you're up for it."

Jessica laughed and kissed him passionately. "Well the hives have pretty much disappeared for the most part. I've healed up pretty well."

"Good," Ryan whispered with a kiss, "I'm glad to hear it."

She slowly pulled his clothes off as he did the same with hers. They wrapped up in the blanket as they laid down out on the ground. Ryan retrieved a condom from a pocket in his jeans. He slid into her and Jessica moaned softly.

It was slow and tender as their bodies worked together. Their bodies shuddered against each other as they climaxed together. They redressed and cuddled back together. Ryan picked up the used condom and the wrapper and looked at the fire.  
>"Do condoms burn?" Ryan asked.<br>Jessica giggled and kissed his cheek. "I would think you've performed that experiment already."

"Nope, never had a reason to burn a condom."

"Then why don't you try now?"

Ryan chuckled and tossed the condom and it's wrapper into the fire. They watched as it smoldered and melted, bubbling black onto a burnt log.

"You shouldn't burn latex, Mr. Wolfe," Horatio said as he sat down on the log bench behind Jessica. "It smells terrible." He began running his fingers through Jessica's hair and she leaned into his touch.

"Don't tell me you were watching, H," Ryan muttered as he shook his head.

"Watch my daughter have sex? That's nasty," Horatio said with a laugh.

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><p>Jessica and Ryan dropped their bags in the living room of Jessica's condo. He looked at her and smiled as he leaned down to kiss her.<p>

"That was a really great trip," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Jessica smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"You want to watch a movie tonight?" Ryan asked as he snaked his arms around her.

"Yeah, after such a long week I think I'm ready to crash for a few days before we have to go back to work."

Ryan smiled and kissed her gently. "Then how about I make dinner and you go relax in the bath?"

"Why don't you just go upstairs with me?" Jessica asked as she toyed with the waistline on his jeans.

"Now why would I want to do that?"

"Well you're just going to end up in there with me anyways, so let's not burn dinner. You come take a nice hot bath with me and then you can make me dinner."

Ryan chuckled as Jessica pulled him towards the stairs. "Fair enough," he said.

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><p><strong>Sorry about the abrupt ending there. I didn't really know how to finish this one out.<strong>


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